One question we get frequently from gardeners is "how often should I water my garden?" We wish there was a simple answer, but I can guarantee we will almost always say "it depends". This is because sun exposure, wind, rain, and soil type affect how often you need to water your plants.
In cooler weather, shadier locations, or landscapes with little to no drainage, you may not need to water very often. If you noticed standing water in the spring, puddles after the rain, or lots of mosquitoes, your garden likely retains a fair amount of water. During the summer, you may only need to water this area during a drought.
In very dry, sunny, or windy locations, you may need to water frequently (more than twice a week) especially if your soil is very sandy. Wind naturally dries out the landscape due to low humidity and evaporation. This is also seen in garden planters, windowboxes, and potted arrangements. During the heat of summer, you may notice that your planters dry out much faster or that the soil appears to be dry. It is important to check your gardens frequently for the depth of saturation as a dry top-layer does not always indicate that your garden needs to be watered!
How do I know if my garden needs to be watered?
While there are lots of helpful tools like soil tests and moisture meters, the BEST way to check if you need to water your plants is to stick your whole index finger into the garden or planter. If the soil sticks to 2/3's of your finger and feels cool, your garden is sufficiently watered. If the soil is dry, sandy, and feels warm, you should saturate the soil by watering close to the roots of the plant.
If you have smaller planters, you can use the same technique or go by weight. A fully saturated planter should have a good weight to it with no standing water. Insert your finger into the centre of the planter to judge if the pot is fully saturated.
Ways to reduce watering
The easiest way to reduce how often you need to water is by planting native plants. This means that you have assessed the light conditions of your garden, the soil type, and have picked a plant that naturally likes those conditions. If I have an area that gets lots of water and little sunlight, I will probably plant native marsh plants like chokeberries, Jack-in-the-Pulpits, and Pussy Willows. In dry, sunny, windy locations, native plants like sumac trees, Honeysuckle, and Joe-Pye plants.
Of course, you can plant non-native plants. When considering annuals for planters, vegetables, herbs, and perennials, choose based on their natural growth habit. We have a large collection of shade tolerant plants, drought tolerant plants, and other featured categories!
A more aggressive approach would be t address your soil composition. In tough, clay, or sandy soils, adding peat moss and black earth to the landscape will help retain moisture and humidity. Mulching over your gardens will also help you reduce the amount of evaporated water. By changing the composition of your soil, you are able to better control the conditions of moisture in your garden.