All plants need water. Fruits and vegetables, in particular, can be extremely thirsty. Rainfall plays a large role, of course, and the garden may be fine without additional water for a few days or even weeks in a rainy season. But then the hot, dry days arrive, and the right irrigation system will not only make a gardener’s life easier by saving time; it will also conserve water and money. Depending on the size of the garden and how spread out it is—say, a 10-by-10-foot plot, as well as containers on a patio or porch—a garden may need more than one watering system.
Simple and Effective
One of the easiest and least expensive ways to water is to repurpose a traditional terra cotta pot and matching drain tray, choosing a small one for a single plant in a container and larger ones for three to four plants in a raised bed or the ground.Seal the drain hole in the pot with a ball of cement or epoxy putty or a rock glued in place, or use your imagination. Bury it adjacent to the plants you want it to slowly water, leaving just a bit of the upper rim above soil level. Fill it with water, and place the drain tray upside down on top to prevent evaporation. The water will travel slowly through the clay walls to provide consistent moisture. Or buy an Olla, a specially designed clay pot with a wide body and thin neck that gardeners have used for centuries.
An even less expensive alternative involves cutting the bottom off of a two-liter soda bottle, drilling some tiny holes in the lid, and then burying it next to a plant. Leave a few inches above the soil for shallow-rooted plants, as you don’t want to bury the lid too far below root level. Wine drinkers can save empty bottles, fill them with water, turn them over carefully, and quickly depress the neck into the soil to form a seal, resulting in slow watering.
Whichever method is chosen, be sure to place the water source adjacent to the plant’s roots.
A Good Soak
Another relatively inexpensive option is a soaker hose, or several. This is exactly what it sounds like. A soaker hose has many tiny holes that allow water to slowly seep out along its length. These provide consistent moisture at a plant’s base, where they should be watered to prevent the molds and mildews that can form on wet leaves, with the bonus of an estimated 30 percent to 50 percent in water savings compared with other forms of watering.
Insider tip: If you’re installing a brand-new soaker hose, stretch it out and let it warm up in the sun to loosen the coils and make winding it among plants much easier. Always flush the hose for several minutes before use to remove debris, and be sure to replace the end cap!
If the garden is not adjacent to the spigot, use a traditional (non-leaching) hose between the spigot and the first plant. Several soaker hoses can be connected together to a maximum length of 150 feet. If you need more coverage, consider a hose splitter with shut-off valves so you can manually switch the flow from one section to the next. For ultimate convenience, consider a single or multi-stage soaker hose timer that installs at the spigot. A timer also answers a gardener’s eternal question: How will my garden get watered while I’m on vacation?
Delightful Drips
Low-pressure, low-volume drip irrigation (also called trickle and micro-irrigation) is considered by many to be the most efficient way to water a variety of in-ground plantings, raised beds, and container gardens. It uses a series of tubes and emitters (aka drippers) to bring water directly to a plant’s roots. The easiest way to get started is to get a kit that contains pipe (aka tubing or hose), elbows, and T-connectors for multiple installation configurations, and emitters.Other items that may come in a specialized kit or can be purchased separately include micro-sprinkler heads that work like regular sprinklers at low pressure, foggers to mist hanging plants, soaker tubing that is buried beneath the soil, a Y-connector so a regular garden hose can be attached to the house spigot as well as the drip system, a filter for heavy mineral water, and a backflow preventer to keep contaminated water from entering your water supply.
