7 Watering Mistakes You're Probably Making

Not mulching was the biggest watering related mistake I made for years. I had plants in completely exposed soil that would dry out every day, and require watering almost every day. Now I have a Back to Eden style garden covered in tons of woodchips (I recommend Chip Drop). Even during heatwaves when it's over 90F / 32C my tomatoes do just fine.

I have a private well that is quite deep and cold. One of the mistakes I’ve made is watering heat-loving plants like peppers with the cold water directly from my well. The plants react like they’ve experienced a cold spell, and stop growing. I have to lay my hose on the ground in the sun, and wait for the water to warm up before watering my peppers and eggplants. I can get a fair amount of watering done before the water turns cold, but I can see how having a water storage tank would be advantageous!

I water in the evening so the plants have time to absorb the water overnight. Haven’t had any issues as a result. In fact my tomatoes and cucumbers are thriving. Good video!

Benji mentioned you as one of his favorite gardening YouTube videos. This was a great one to start out with, thank you!

Soil types are also an important consideration. Here in Atlanta, we have heavy red Georgia clay. To improve the tilth (texture) we add generous amounts of COMPOST. The addition of ORGANIC MATTER to your soil aids in drainage of heavy soils.Many soil mixes that are commonly used drain too well due to the amount of sand in the mix. Adding organic matter like compost helps the soil retain moisture while allowing air to move through the root zone.

I like to water daily around 7:35am because the light comes in & discourages snail damage post watering. I water in evenings IF needed.

I water in the evening for two reasons: first is that I leave for work at 8ish and I'm not a morning person, so I'm not getting up earlier. Second is that in this season, we get heat waves that mean it may not dip below 90 until 8pm. I can't take the heat. So, I water a lot in the evening, but at the base so that it doesn't sit on the leaves.

When I water my plants in the area around me I first give the plants a little water to let the soil absorb it . Then I come back round and water the plant more , according to its needs. It seems the soil absorbs more quickly then kind of like climatizing it. If I don't do this it appears as I have watered enough but I haven't. I know this because when I stick my finger into the soil it still is dry close to the surface. Our city water does not do well for the plants I've noticed, but when it rains the plants really perk up and love the rain. I have purchased a gutter down spout diverter to collect rain water . Just have to install it now.

I don’t have a faucet in the backyard, and mostly have fruits & veggies in pots. I use clay pots with lids buried in the soil to fill them with water and hollow clay ‘spikes’ in the soil, you can put a wine bottle filled with water in it with the neck down into the ‘spike’ so it fills with water and slowly waters the plants. Water bottles with a few little holes in them, a few centimeters above the bottom, buried in the plant pot, works fine too. It can be refilled and irrigates slowly, so I don’t have to check & water daily.

You should have us viewers display our summer gardens. Rate them with Jacque

I use the finger in the soil test as you demonstrated, seems to work. That and a 1020 tray laying level in the garden as a rain gauge. Sometimes rain is forecast overnight, no real sign of rain, and there's an inch in the tray, other times the patio is wet, and the tray is damp. Especially when the plant matures, the leaves can act like an umbrella and the plants themselves shed the water. The finger trick, however, doesn't lie. TYFS Kevin

I’ve actually learned to water the soil. I have to water everyday right now because if I don’t, the soil becomes hydrophobic because it’s so hot. The plant does well when the soil is doing well.

Hoselinks customer service is top notch too! I had a hose that kinked and I was unable to retract it more than 25 ft or so. They gave me some pointers that didn't work. Then sent out a brand new hoselink. The guarantee is great! ❤

It really depends on your area how much overhead watering does to your plant. I was from the hotter area a year ago and would always overhead - no issue. I moved a year to a zone lower and closer to the ocean. It gets super humid here but after watering overhead, it gave me so many fungal disease for almost all my plants.

Kevin, The Old Wives' (Gardeners') Tale about not water when the sun's out or it will act like a magnifying glass & burn the leaves always cracked me up. Mother Nature does that all the time & her garden looks just fine. 😊

This explains why I keep getting white mildew on my plants. I’m NOTORIOUS about watering over like the rain does. Thanks.

Where I live slugs are a massive issue, and I really do mean a massive issue, watering in the evening is an absolute no as a result. If you water in the evening it just encourages the slugs to come out, something too also bear in mind.

Watering is always an issue for me... I use an irrigation system and have to revise it every year to match my new garden layout and it can bring me so much stress sometimes 😅

“That Goldilocks amount of water, not too much, not too little” 😂 love your phrases

We installed 3 Hoselink systems this season (two 82 foot hoses and one 50 foot hose) and it has made my life SO much easier. I love this product.