How to Determine How Much Water Your Garden Needs

How much water your garden actually needs depends on how well the soil drains and the amount of water-holding capacity there is in your particular type of soil. Here is a simple test you can do to determine how fast your soil drains. When you have that information, you can adjust your watering schedule accordingly.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Dig a hole six inches wide and one foot deep using a shovel or a post-hole digger.

2. Fill the hole with water and let it drain.

3. Fill the hole with water one more time after the water has drained completely.

4. Keep track of how long it takes for the water to drain completely from the hole after the second filling. If the water drains completely within three hours or less, you have a drainage problem, probably due to sandy soil. If water is still standing in the hole after eight hours, you have a drainage problem due to too much clay in the soil, and if the water drains within four to six hours, you don't have any drainage problem.

5. Increase the amount of water you apply to your garden if the soil drains in less than three hours.

6. Decrease the amount of water if the soil takes longer than eight hours to drain.

7. Keep up your same watering schedule if the soil drains in four to six hours.

Tips & Warnings

• Water holding capacity of any soil type can be improved by adding organic compost.
• Plants in shady areas will use less water than those in full sun.