How often should I water my garden?

From vegetable gardens to succulents, how much and how often to water can be challenging to determine. The bad news is that there is not a uniform answer that is going to work for every gardener and you cannot simply decide you are going to water once a week on Sundays and leave it at that.

How often you need to water your garden will depend on a variety of factors, including the climate where you live, the time of year, the amount of rainfall you receive, the type of soil you have, where your plants are located in your garden, and whether your plants are in containers or the ground. It also depends on the size and age of your plants. In the first 30 days while your plants are young, your plants won’t drink much water. When you have mature plants, and especially fruiting plants which drink a lot, you will need to add water more often. 

Even when you think you have it all figured out, it will change on you, because your soil is going to dry out faster some weeks than it does other weeks. For example, your soil is going to dry out a lot faster during hot, dry months than it will during colder months. You will also find that some plants in your garden need water more often than others.

So, here is what you can do to know when to water your plants.

The first step is to read the labels when you purchase seeds or plants. Mostly, you need to know if the plant is drought-tolerant once established or if it prefers moist soil. Plants that prefer moist soil are going to need to be watered more often. Click here to learn about different watering categories for plants.

For most of your plants, you are simply going to stick your finger about one inch into the soil. If the soil is dry, it is time to water deeply. If the soil still feels moist, wait until it feels dry. In Southern California, most gardeners are able to water deeply about once a week in cooler weather and twice a week in hotter weather.

If you really have a hard time knowing when to water your garden, plant some leafy green lettuces between your vegetables or in your flowerbed. When the lettuce leaves start to wilt, it is time to water.