Garden Watering Supplies

How much water does a vegetable garden need? A rule of thumb is: the smaller the growing medium, the more watering is needed. For example, potted plants need watering every single day—on a sunny, hot spot, even several times a day. The watering can should reach right down to the soil at the roots, not just splash a few drops over leaves and flowers.

Large plantings, like big potato fields, normally manage through the whole summer with the watering that falls from the sky. If the year is very dry, even a potato patch may need the gardener’s help to produce a crop. Still, potatoes aren’t a plant that requires large amounts of moisture, so you don’t need to make watering a big potato field a regular habit.

A greenhouse is hotter than the outdoor air, and rainwater from the sky won’t reach the plants inside. Greenhouses typically grow species that require plenty of water, such as tomatoes and cucumbers. A greenhouse watering system is therefore not a bad option at all when you want to ensure a consistently beautiful harvest.

In a kitchen garden, lettuces, zucchini, and outdoor cucumbers need plenty of water. Herbs, root vegetables, and rhubarb can manage with less. However, if your kitchen garden is a so-called raised-bed garden—meaning plants grow in raised beds or similar structures above ground level—more water is needed. The box is warmer and more water evaporates from it than from a “regular” in-ground garden plot.

A garden hose is a great help when watering a large kitchen garden. It’s worth equipping the hose with a spray gun that provides an even, gentle pressure for delicate plants. For a very large garden, it may not always be economical to use tap water, so it’s smart to make use of rainwater from the roof by placing large rain barrels under the gutters. And if you’re lucky enough to live right by fresh water, or if you have a well in your yard, a water pump is an efficient and very worthwhile purchase.