I live in zone 9b, low desert. Watering twice is mandatory here for getting water deep enough, and daily watering of pots June through mid September. Shade cloth and mulch ( I use 3 inches of straw) are mandatory here to keep produce from burning, and hopefully conserving water too! I appreciate your you Tube show and never miss- Gardengirl in Nevada
Hiya. California gardener here. I am trying to use plastic sheeting around my tomatoes to see how they do. Some toms with and some toms without. I use mulch (seasoned horse manure, not used when horse is wormed! Yikes :() and that seems to help too. My blueberries are almost a lost cause here.
@@catalinacatg8861 Wishing you good luck with your plastic sheeting comparison! Straw can be a bit messy but here it really helps to insulate and also keep water in the soil instead of evaporating.
Hi Ben I’m a 55 year old American and just planted my first vegetable garden this spring. I found your channel a couple weeks ago and have been binge watching. Love your channel and all the great tips!! Keep up the enthusiasm and great work!!!
We use dirty sheep fleece as mulch, it is free from local farmers, comes with free manure, breaks down over time and also works wonders in early colder season. It also really keeps the moist in!
Kiwis do this! A high school team won an entrepreneur competition one year by inventing and selling circular apron type wool mats which fitted around the base of trees. Everyone agreed it was a superb idea. Required a bit of willing, competitive teenage manual labour though
We always have a washing up tub in the sink to catch all the water we use when simply running the tap for a few seconds. The quick hand wash, cleaning fruit & veg. Surprising amount of water.
Das ist ein guter Tip, auch wenn es offensichtlich ist, soetwas zu tun, man vergisst es viel zu oft. Hab mir gerade auch wieder eine Schüssel ins Bassin gestellt 👋
Yes, I’ve also found that watering twice is good. I watered one of my plots and thought I’d soaked it but when I went to plant my seeds the soil was dry underneath the very top surface. Now I water twice and I’ve found it works better.
I found the same. The other day we had a short sharp summer shower, just after 3 dry weeks. My neighbour said she wasn't going to water as it had rained. I took a trowel stuck it right in the soil, pulled it towards me revealing 1-2 cm wet, like you did. She got the message
Another great video! Thanks Ben! Just one little tip - dump out any water left in the soaking trays to prevent mosquitos from breeding. I left a bucket out and was absolutely horrified at all the wriggly larva that appeared in a flash!
When I rebuilt our bungalow I ensured that the roof was used to capture as much water as I could. Two large tanks take water storing 5,500 litres of water in underground storage tanks. A submersible pump provides 3 bar pressure (45psi) and this is piped to my allotment for use in the water butts. I don’t water directly from the hose as I found in my first year of use that I emptied the tanks in only three weeks! Lesson learned 👍🏻
I like the bit where Ben is watching his "favourite UA-cam channel" @7:48 :) Even though I've heard these tips before, I often forget when I see a wilting plant and too hastily reach for the watering can before thinking or testing with the methods described here.
Love your cheery videos, Ben! Thanks for all the great tips! I live in Florida where last week the air temp next to my garden in the sun was 114 F. I just installed shade cloth, 40%. I’ve seen videos that say for veggies it’s important not to exceed 30 or 40%. Checked temperature under the shade cloth and it has been 8 to 10 degrees cooler. Really helps but it is something of an experiment for me.
In between my tomato plants I've dug in plastic pots. I water into these, like a cheap Olla. The water goes straight down to the roots and it does not splash the leaves. It saves greatly on water. I have 8 plants along a dry hot wall, and they are very happy with the one 10L watering can I split amongst them every morning.
I saw that tip on another’s gardeners videos and plan to do that with my raised bed that I just built. So excited to try it. I saved my coconut water bottles to use. Win win!
Thanks for the chuckle. “Sometimes it can go a surprisingly long time without rain, thee to four weeks!” We can go 6 - 8 months without rain here in California sometimes!
Thanks Ben, I learn something I can use in every single one of your videos. I keep a bucket in the shower to catch the cold water before it warms up enough to get it. When I wash dishes by hand I do the same with a big pasta pot in the sink. I let them cool and then into the garden. I also have a rain butt but could use a second. Luckily (?) in Scotland so far the summer it's been solidly wet every few days so those really thirsty potatoes haven't needed anything from me except grass clippings.
I think you're right about watering twice. Often dried out soil seems quite hydrophobic, and quite easily just flows through containers, but if you prime it first and come back, it's much more able to hold the water than just let it pass through. Good topic, it's amazing how dry soil sometimes stays even after watering...someone should do a cross section video one day!
Yes! And the fact that water doesn't spread out, it only goes straight down, so if you only water one half of a pot, you're only water one half of the roots!
Fun fact (which I learned from a Bill Bryson book). Our nerves can't actually feel 'wet'. We can feel hot, cold and texture, and a combination of those tells us if something is wet or not. If you have your clothes drying on the line on a cold day it's hard to tell if it's still damp or just cold. Or if a baby pees on you at body temp while you're changing their nappy you wont' realise until it starts to cool (you know how I know!). So a feeling a combination of cold and squishy, rather than warmer and crispy, shows you if your plant is drying out.
Another helpful, cheerful and relaxing video! Thank you so much. You have such a beautiful garden. I love to see it thriving. My idea is not so much for watering but for preventing evaporation: I planted a bedding plant (lobelia) around my container cucumbers. The lobelia covers the soil around the cucumbers and seems to be doing a good job of preventing the containers from drying out too quickly. I actually did this because I grew lobelia from seed and had more plants than I did containers! But it seems to be working really well. I also invested in a water catchers/plates for each container. That's also made a huge difference with both preventing water loss and making sure plants soak up their weekly feed.
Thank you! Your videos are much appreciated and very informative. Much love and gratitude from Scotland where I'm doing my best to grow fruit, herbs and vegetables. 💜
Rain water off my roof in two of the large water containers. One for the horses and one for the garden. We rigged the end cap to fit a hose nipple with reducing pipe and a connector. Well off to water right now before church. Y’all have a blessed Sunday, and remember..the best fertilizer is prayer !
I bought a moisture probe and it's revolutionised my watering! I do about a quarter of the watering I did as I didn't realise that just under the surface the soil was either moist or wet.
I do the same as you. One time around and then again another round, to ensure the plants actually get some water without runoff. It makes a huge difference especially in grow bags.
In South East England we have had very little rain for months...... I've gone through 600L of water vai the tap,in to water butts first so the chemicals can disperse. Plus when we have had had to use hose pipe to direct water. Rather not use that way as it can go everywhere. I would like to thank you Ben coz if it wasn't for you I wouldn't have managed to grow anything as never have before this year but are doing quite well this year. So thanks Ben. Keep it all coming to help everyone.
@@GrowVeg we have started harvesting the start of the peas and runner beans,not meant on them as peas still small plants and the beens have gone berserk but not growing much,may get more. Have had 5,15L grow bags full of onions,haven't counted how many lol but lots and some shallots, also had the potatoes,not as big as I expected but will try again next year. Have got some in ATM that we are hoping to get some baby potatoes from,not expecting much,but they were shop brought ones that went mad and sprouted loads of chits so instead of binning em we said we would try to grow from em. Worth trying. Also brought a bargain box of seeds cheep so now trying beets, spinach beets, carrots the round ones. Really trying tgis year and I'm loving it.
I'm in New Zealand and have a 1200 litre overflowing into a 900 litre, on the other side I have a 450 litre tank overflowing to two 100 litre bins. Also off the garage a 250 litre, also off my shade house another 250 litre guttertank. Helps with water bills! And lovely soft water. Great site.
My tip is to weed while you water - the watering makes it easier to pull up the weeds, you can wash the soil from the weed roots to retain it, and as you pull up the weeds, it's a handy way to see how dry the soil is that comes up with the weed.
One way I pull out dandelions, is I use 2 fingers (one each side of the dandelion), and dig until I have a firm grip on the root, and then I pul and twist and it comes out super easy
Timing of this video is spot on as I too am "enjoying" the Oklahoma heat - about 20 days over 100 and counting. However, my garden wishes it was September/October And, no rain as we have had just .2 inches - 5mm in a month. Trying to stay ahead of the heat drying out the soil is becoming a daily checkup. I have a moisture gauge I use to check the soil moisture and water accordingly. Planning for second season is being impacted, and potentially delayed as the ground temp in my various beds is between 89 and 109 degrees, and today is one of our cooler days. ☀☀☀🥵😎 On the other side the heat is doing wonders for my cantaloupe and watermelon.
I have some sloping beds and water just runs off when it's dry. I've started using drinks bottles filled with water, lids off and a couple of pin pricks in the bottom so the water slowly drips out over an hour or so. I put these at the base of my plants so all of the water gets to the roots, it saves loads of water and time
Look into amending your beds by turning whem into swales. Lots of how to and why on UA-cam. Geoff lawsons videos are a good place to start. Swales harvest and slow the water through the slope. All quite interesting once you get into how they work. Well worth a look!
I've made ollas for all my tomato plants from large terracotta pots. I put a coin at the bottom to cover the drain hole (A looney or tooney works well if you have access to Canadian coins) secured with calk, and use the pot dish as a lid. In my maritime climate the tomato plants really struggle with blossom rot and all kinds of mildews, so using ollas really helps take the water to the roots and keep it off the stems and leaves. I fill up the pot with water every few days, and it will gradually release moisture to the soil and roots where it's needed. In fall when I remove each pot I find tomato roots grown all around them.
if buying an IBC try and get a black one, or if not paint a white one with bitumen paint, I thin this with a bit of white spirit and it's very quick and effective to paint. black ones prevent light and stop algy forming in the water, they look better too. cheers
To water my garden is one of my absolute favourite things to do in this world. So calming, soothing and I love how it smells combined with all the green. 💚 Though, after overwatering cucumber plants in hot summer, I actually resorted to terracotta pots for my potted outdoor plants as well as fabric grow bags. This was easier than to change myself, but I am working on it 😁 Yes, I killed cucumber by overwatering. We have 6 large barrels to collect rain water, and they are spread around all corners of our house. Also, on built structures out in the yard. I would like some drip system, at least for some beds, but for now I´ll have to make do with the barrels. (Will use the hose when the barrels are empty). I mulch as much as possible.
I live in Idaho (USA) and in the summer, the County opens up the ditch water system so farmers can water their crops. With that in mind, they also offer it to homeowners who can connect to it much like you would for City water. Two years ago, our well pump broke and I nearly lost all my trees and plants, so we decided to connect to the ditch system. The only problem I have now is that I have so much water, I think I am OVER watering. Many of my plants have gone to seed and I nearly lost my entire strawberry patch. It is starting to warm up with triple digit temperatures, but I've disciplined myself to watering twice a week and checking in-between to be sure the soil is moist below. My over-watering has also caused a slight earwig problem which I've promptly addressed. So, yes. I've learned that over-watering is not a good thing. This was a great video.
I plant all my plants in slight depressions - similar idea to the tomato halos nitelite78 mentioned. Water will collect in them during rains, or I can easily water with little to no runoff if the weather's dry. We're lucky enough to have a pond on our property; it's too mucky to swim in, but between the turtles and koi and other residents, the water is full of nutrients and organic matter. I put an inexpensive sump pump in the pond and pump the water up to my garden. The plants love it and it doesn't stress the well we use for the house.
Thank you for all the good information! I have about 3500 sq ft of garden here in North Florida, US. We have extremes of weather here, and from mid-June through September, cope with heat in the upper 90's and low 100's, periods of heavy rain and drought, unbelievable disease and pest pressure, mainly because it never gets cold enough, long enough to kills things off. It's a challenge, but we do have pretty much year 'round gardening. Many use weed fabric, which I've found to be expensive and tends to be an ideal environment for fire ants (fire ants come from the depth of Hell itself - they sting and cause painful, puss-filled blisters!). Mulch here pretty much harbors pests, but we do use pine needles and straw, if we can be assured of getting straw that hasn't been treated with Grazon. What works for me for watering? I use buried drip tape. My garden is divided into two Zones, and each Zone had 30 ft rows with buried drip tape. Depending on the crop, I plant either single (on top or beside the tape) or double (on either side of the tape), and can water in the most efficient way. The water goes directly to the roots, and has less evaporation, and it keeps weeds down because I'm not watering between the rows. Overhead watering here promotes disease, and the humidity here is very high. On outrageously hot days, however, I will run an overhead sprinkler just to cool plants down.
Great job Ben. I think you covered the basics very well. Here in water-starved, drought-stricken Sacramento, Ca, zone 9b, I irrigate ALL my beds with drip irrigation and lots of mulch of different varieties. I use lawn clippings and sometimes get mulch from tree trimmers in the area, I also make compost in a 90 gallon barrel that only takes a few months to process. I use organic fertiliser and fish emulsion during the continual growing season.
@@claireskrine4837 Rainwater collection for irrigation is legal in my area and I capture about 50 gallons each year that I save for summer plants. , thanks.
@@stephenhope7319 That's great! I'm finding it fascinating how ingenious people can be to collect rainwater in dry areas. I'm in the UK so not so much of an issue at the moment :D
Thanks Stephen. You sound like you're doing all the right things. Hope the drought breaks for you soon. I've been watching the situation where you are with interest and sympathy.
I live in central France. For the last 4 years we've had hose pipe bans, even to being fined for using well, spring or rain water So we recycle the bath water in the 18 metre x 4metre polytunnel. We syphon the bath water into a "holding tank" and I water 3 beds each day over 6 days. On the 7th day I give every bed a drink of fresh water to help prevent the build-up of soap in the soil. No easy task lugging watering cans about 60 metres down to the tunnel . Just imagine how many trips I have to do with 18 beds to do. But for me it's worth it for all the fresh vegetables.
Wow! Why will they fine people for using rain water? It comes from the sky, can be captured off a roof and recycled into your own garden. How do they get away with controlling rain water use?!
God bless you for all that you do to have fresh produce! I pray for your great health, strength and long life to continue to do the things that you love to do. 🙏🌱🌻🌺🙏
@@ruthprattley9318 It's not using the WATER that's the problem. It's using the HOSE. Carting it in watering cans or buckets is OK. I never could understand the reasoning behind that.
I use the drip irrigation system and it works well in Oklahoma! This year is another dust bowl year! It has been over 100 for the past two weeks and no rain for a month so far! Terri le!
Thank you for this - this U.S. northeast heat wave (40°C) has been stressing my container tomatoes so much! I will try your method of also watering in a tray from below!
I actually use a moisture meter for my grow bags as they tend to dry out faster than my raised beds. My yard has a slight slope, so one end of my raised beds tends to be more moist. So I'll use the moisture meter on that higher end to ensure everything is okay. I water in the morning when I'm off or teleworking from home and in the evenings when I must go into the office. I agree with some of the other comments, that weeding is easier with wet soil.
I use grass clippings on my raised beds, but I don´t dry them out. As long as you cover with at most an inch of green clippings, there do not appear to be any adverse effects. They dry out pretty quickly on the beds themselves and cut watering down considerably. I mow the lawn every 10 to 20 days and just top up the mulch. I live in N.W. Spain, Galicia and although this summer is pretty dry it probably rains as much here as it does in the UK.
Thanks for that Julian. Yes, spreading the clippings thinly and often seems to be the best way to use them, so they don't tangle up into a wet mat - not that that would be a problem this summer!
I use the water from my salad spinner to water the flower pots on the kitchen deck. It’s about 3 lites of water every time I wash my lettuce for a salad and it helps me keep my planters watered, one planter at a time.
We're using left over woodshavings to mulch ours. It's handy as there's too much of it to just add it to our compost but, this way, it still ends up composting down. We can't install a water butt here on our rented house but when the shed goes in we'll be puttinv one on that!
I have clay soil which turns into cement during a dry spell. I also garden on a very large area and a have a well. I have 2 rain barrels and also collect the water from my dehumidifier in the cellar. Good video. Thank you!
I've been mulching with my grass clippings and it makes a world of difference in terms of moisture retention and soil temperature. It also nearly eliminated soil borne disease and helps with weeds.
I built an under soil irrigation system for raised beds. I used 22.5mm plastic over flow pipe because you can joint it with JG Speed fit 22mm fittings. I drilled 1mm holes along each piece on 100mm centres. The pipes are buried about 100mm from the surface and have been pretty effective.
Thanks Ben great information on watering Theres a big difference between container n ground gardening I've made these mistakes over watering Love your videos 😊 👍
This will sound weird, but I've recently discovered aquarium gravel - very fine, a light colour reflects the sun (though white looks like you've dumped a load of salt on), and it goes some way to stopping the water running over the surface of the container and down the sides and straight out of the bottom. I'm using it on some of my window boxes.
I have found that old bamboo blinds make great shade covers. I place a panel of metal mesh (4" openings) over my bed like a hoop tunnel and drape a "matchstick" type bamboo blind over the top whenever we get a heat wave.
I plant my veggies in shallow (2" - 3" deep) trenches, fill the trenches with mulch and, when they need water, place my garden hose in the trench and fill it with water. Using a soaking hose in the trench also works well.
If you have some kind of stone path in your garden, it also helps to wet the stones to bring down the temperature in the garden. I did this yesterday evening in my backyard, and I could very clearly feel the difference in air temperature stepping from the wet area onto the dry tiles. If the air cools down, less water evaporates. It won't make a huge difference, maybe, but it's still something. Your plants may also appreciate it during a heatwave, when the air temperature maybe won't drop that much during the night otherwise.
Hi from zone 5 in Iowa, US. I mulch with straw. I water deep & I use a "moisture meter" to check the soil in my raised beds & containers to see if they need watering. I can go for a week without watering. The soil stays wet. lV your videos.
I break up the soil around large plants/trees and between rows, with a small fork and water directly to the aerated area. This prevents run-off, and helps get the water down deep and quickly. I am going to try using a wetting agent too, this may help prevent run-off, then I’ll mulch around the base.
Most of my planters (tomatoes, cucumber, herbs, strawbs) and all of my hanging baskets (flowers) have a built in reservoir, so I water directly into that and the plants drink as they need it. I have drip hoses in the border and in pots that don't have a reservoir (connected to different timers as they have different requirements e.g how long to water them, and how frequently - the timers are connected to soil moisture meters) so everything gets watered from 6 am and I can stay tucked up in bed :-) The only thing that I struggle with is my patio blueberries, they're in two pots of ericaceous soil but I don't have a downpipe or surface to run rainwater off so I occasionally have to give them tap water. This is my 2nd year so I'm hoping for a crop but it's not looking good so far!
Lol! Perfect Timing. I'm a seasoned gardener and still make mistakes. I have a volunteer squash plant that got too big to get close to and is nestled in the asparagus bed. Squash have a tendency to look wilypted in the heat and you think they need a drink. I couldn't get close enough to check the soil and the volunteer sunflowers are creating shade. Yesterday I noticed one of the squash fell off because I watered too much. Pots are easy and terracotta I could just leave in a bin of water as they dry out very quickly here. Sandy soil that I am improving is tricky as not all areas are the same with organic material. We just had rain thankfully and the rain tanks are full for the heat coming this week. So if you can reach the plant check the soil with your finger as overwatering can happen to us all. I found I have a ton of grubs and they can eat off the feeder roots and make a healthy plant look as if it is drying out. Have you or anyone else used beneficial nematodes to get rid of grubs? Do they work?
Hi Dusty. Yes, my zucchini/courgettes often wilt in the heat of the day then spring back again once it cools off. I haven't every used beneficial nematodes, so can't comment, but know many people do with success for things like vine weevil grubs.
@@GrowVeg thank you! I just learned if squash are not pollinated fully that they can fall off also, but I think it may have been over watering. Yes, the grubs, I will need to try the nematodes. I was hilling some potatoes and in a square foot I have found up to 9 grubs--not good! Mainly see them in my potatoe area. Maybe I don't have as poor of soil as I thought, but grubs eating the roots off. Go figure that this year I only seen about 5 potatoe beetles and make up for it in grubs.
Hi Ben, i use a Water Butt if possible but at the moment in this weather the Water Butt is really low, so at the moment it's the Hosepipe for now but i do mulch with Coco Coir wood chips which dissolve in the soil. Take Care and Stay Safe. Barry (the Wirral)
Hi Ben great video this is the first year that I'm seriously doing gardening and your videos help a lot. I subscribe to your grow veg website. I'm done my planning that way . Regarding watering I have got 6 x 200 litres water butts and 2 x 1,000 litres IPC tanks and a 3,000 litres water harvesting system so shouldn't run out of water this year. Kept up the good work.😀😀
Hello, I live in the southwest USA. Hot, dry, . I have six rain barrels to catch what little rain we might get. I’ve had to use shade cloth on my entire garden to keep it from cooking and drying up or needing watering twice a day. My garden is all in one area of my yard. So it’s easy to shade it. I water in the morning. My garden is doing a lot better with the shade cloth. It’s great to see your garden.
one of my Neighbours has just started adding wool into the compost they make. i shall look into it myself. i have seen local garden centre starting to sell it as well. seems like a new popular trend.
I think home gardeners should think about putting at least a good part of their beds on drip irrigation to save time and ensure even watering. The rest can be hand-watered, and that's good because it's important to regularly get out in the garden and inspect for issues anyway. Gardens don't work too well on autopilot.
I am a relatively new gardener and I have found what you have said to be expressly true. I have struggled to fine tune my watering in order to get it right. My drip irrigation is an ongoing project that will never be finished to the point of auto pilot but has greatly reduced the headache/heartache of failure in the beginning of my journey.
@@samueljaramillo4221 you can use soaker hoses. I just drag the hose and connect to the soaker set in that bed. I do have a timer on the spigot as I get busy and forget to turn it off. But if you can hand water, you can connect your hose up to either drip irrigation or soaker hose.
@@51rwyatt my water source is about 150 feet from my garden. It’s easier to hand water the whole garden in 15-20 minutes than running a soaker hose for hours.
Some people use tomato halos to help with watering. A cheaper alternative is just to cut rings a few cm high from old, broken plastic plant pots or plastic buckets, put them in the soil in the planting area and then plant your young plants. I do this for tomatoes but also pumpkins and squash. The plastic ring sits an inch or so above the soil line and this lets you really focus watering around the base off the plant without water just running off. I basically just add water to the top of the ring and it all soaks down onto the root ball. This also means the surface outside the ring remains drier and so discourages slugs.
I even leave a couple garden buckets put when it rains. I'm always surprised how much you can get from that. Just make sure you cover it after the rain or use it. Cause bugs and critters love to get in there.
Das ist eine gute Idee. Wir haben insgesamt 10 Regentonnen, aber dennoch macht es Sinn, noch mehr Regenwasser zu sammeln, denn bei uns ist es aktuell mit über 40°C sehr heiß und der Boden ist extrem trocken. Das mit den Eimern werde ich beim nächsten Regenschauer beherzigen 👋
I have two rain barrels that collect water from the house and garage. I could probably use another one. Together, they collect 110 gallons of water. I have miniature butterfly and button bushes beyond the reach of my hose, so these rain barrels come in handy for those and other beds.
I'm testing dug in clay pots and self-made Ollas build out of clay pots to hold some moisture close the plants. While the Ollas seem to work, I might have a leak on some O I need to improve this for next year. The clay pots (hole sealed with bees wax) is holding water well and with pot coasters on the top it's not evaporating. Ollas seem to work better because it goes for down into the soil while some plants with clay pots are still struggling.
Good-day Ben and Rosie!👋 Great info...much of which I learned the hard way.😀 As usual I learned something new! I just started collecting rain water this year and wasn't too sure about using the water when it goes green. It's nice to know I can still use it.🌻 We are in another week of temps between 103 and 107. I'm looking forward to fall.😃 Looking forward to next week knowledge drop!😃 Stay hydrated! 💕
Hi Valorie. I'm glad that's proved a handy snipper of advice. We have temperatures hitting around 104-106 here in England tomorrow. New records being broken. Making sure I stay hydrated! :-)
I use my sump water pumped to a water trough (40 gals). Install an electric submersible pump attached to a standard hose and nozzle. I have 4 spare 20 gallon plastic carboys I keep spare water from sump. I mix fish emulsion in one these to fertilize and hand water using a barrel pump into hand cans.
My way is not to water little and often but to water once in a while with a large volume of water. That way the water goes deep and plant roots chase it down rather than coming to the surface where they are at risk of drying out.
This may have been mentioned. I didn’t get to all of the previous comments. I just added an RV water filter to my outdoor water spigot so I’m not subjecting my plants to the chlorinated city water. I also collect rain water in a barrel but I believe I live under an umbrella. I can see the rain clouds all around me but it often passes right by my house.
Hi Ben, in Australia water is scarce and becoming expensive. People are encouraged to reuse what's called grey water, which typically would be water from your showers and basins in the bathroom. Some information out there recommends using water from things like dishwashers or clothes washers, but people need to know that the detergents of the used are usually very salty. And of course adding salt to soils is very destructive. Also some detergents contain boron. I think this is reducing, but boron inhibits fruiting in certain species and is a determinant agriculture as to what can be grown in different areas. If you have thoughts on use of grey water from the house video on that could be very helpful. Also in the UK a lot of the water is reasonably hard. Hi calcium and magnesium in Melbourne where I live, the water is extremely soft and therefore the hardness of the water plus detergents and things could also be a determinant on whether grey water is beneficial or not.
Yes, these are all really important points to consider. Personally I would only ever use collected water from hand-washing of kitchen stuff, and water from baths and showers where ecological products were used. Just water that has only organic stuff in it and no artificial nonsense. Of course, the profile of mains water will be different to rainwater. So rainwater is always preferable. The first aim should be to collect as much rainwater as possible! :-)
@@GrowVeg Agreed but in most parts of Australia you would need a very large roof area and enormous tank to store that water and that is not enough for a decent sized garden so they push reuse very hard here
Hello...I generally use butt water - rain water collected, though this ran out a few weeks ago as here in the UK we've had not much rain in the last month. so I've had to resort to tap water , for now. Thank you Ben for sharing these valuable tips....X
Hey there,found your channel from a suggestion on a facebook group to do with growing veg. So glad i found it,I have grown a few things,but not all at once. This year I thought to myself I would love to grow a bit of veg,but take laid bk approach,see how it goes. Well I germinated some seeds & now I am hooked. I am a bit behind. To be honest i wasn't expecting to get into it the way i have lol..The only thing is i haven't got alot of money,for example my seedlings needed potting up & I had to use some used soil,it had roots in..I had to wait to get my new soil,but just worked with what I got..we have made a small amount of compost aswell..But when my seeds germinated it was hard not to get intrested,you want to see them thrive.. My cucumber plants are growing so quick,but I am scared to put them in the back garden..I don't know what to do..I have took them out(trying to climatise them)but it's been that hot they have dropped. I know that is something to do with the soil absorbing the water & the plants can't absorb it quick enough,at least I think thats along the right lines..I just don't want to kill them now. And is it true if you water them irregularly the fruit can grow oddly & the taste will be affected??.. Sorry for such a long winded message,it's just I am so excited,but nervous,any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Hope you & everyone is keeping well,have a fab day & takecare,xx
Thanks for watching. :-) With any plant going outside for the first time you want to acclimatise it over at least a week to ten days. The best thing is to start slow - bring plants out for a few hours during the day, then gradually build up the time they spend outdoors. In hot weather, plants would also need to be shaded initially, then you can gradually move them into full sun. Regular watering is essential for cucumbers as they are a plant with a high water content - especially the fruits. So don't let the soil dry out too much or this can stress plants and cause issues with fruits setting/dropping.
I live in zone 9b, low desert. Watering twice is mandatory here for getting water deep enough, and daily watering of pots June through mid September. Shade cloth and mulch ( I use 3 inches of straw) are mandatory here to keep produce from burning, and hopefully conserving water too!
I appreciate your you Tube show and never miss- Gardengirl in Nevada
Those sound like challenging conditions!
Hiya. California gardener here. I am trying to use plastic sheeting around my tomatoes to see how they do. Some toms with and some toms without. I use mulch (seasoned horse manure, not used when horse is wormed! Yikes :() and that seems to help too. My blueberries are almost a lost cause here.
@@catalinacatg8861
Wishing you good luck with your plastic sheeting comparison! Straw can be a bit messy but here it really helps to insulate and also keep water in the soil instead of evaporating.
Hi Ben I’m a 55 year old American and just planted my first vegetable garden this spring. I found your channel a couple weeks ago and have been binge watching. Love your channel and all the great tips!! Keep up the enthusiasm and great work!!!
Thanks Eric - and a warm welcome to the channel!
We use dirty sheep fleece as mulch, it is free from local farmers, comes with free manure, breaks down over time and also works wonders in early colder season. It also really keeps the moist in!
I'd love it if more people knew about this - our sheep farmers are having a shocking time and this is a revenue stream that could really help them.
Kiwis do this! A high school team won an entrepreneur competition one year by inventing and selling circular apron type wool mats which fitted around the base of trees. Everyone agreed it was a superb idea. Required a bit of willing, competitive teenage manual labour though
Interesting. Thanks for sharing ⭐️
What a wonderful material - such a great use for it.
i can use my xmas woolly sweater i hate that thing! makes me itch! :)
We always have a washing up tub in the sink to catch all the water we use when simply running the tap for a few seconds. The quick hand wash, cleaning fruit & veg. Surprising amount of water.
It all adds up Rory, and the more we can save, the better.
Das ist ein guter Tip, auch wenn es offensichtlich ist, soetwas zu tun, man vergisst es viel zu oft. Hab mir gerade auch wieder eine Schüssel ins Bassin gestellt 👋
Yes, I’ve also found that watering twice is good. I watered one of my plots and thought I’d soaked it but when I went to plant my seeds the soil was dry underneath the very top surface. Now I water twice and I’ve found it works better.
I found the same.
The other day we had a short sharp summer shower, just after 3 dry weeks. My neighbour said she wasn't going to water as it had rained. I took a trowel stuck it right in the soil, pulled it towards me revealing 1-2 cm wet, like you did.
She got the message
Another great video! Thanks Ben! Just one little tip - dump out any water left in the soaking trays to prevent mosquitos from breeding. I left a bucket out and was absolutely horrified at all the wriggly larva that appeared in a flash!
Thanks for the advice Anderson - I'll do that.
@@GrowVeg do you have mosquitos in England?
@@tesstess3371 Do bears shit in the woods?🤣
I would use it to water other plants that do not need bottom watering.
When I rebuilt our bungalow I ensured that the roof was used to capture as much water as I could. Two large tanks take water storing 5,500 litres of water in underground storage tanks. A submersible pump provides 3 bar pressure (45psi) and this is piped to my allotment for use in the water butts. I don’t water directly from the hose as I found in my first year of use that I emptied the tanks in only three weeks! Lesson learned 👍🏻
Sounds like a great system you have there Andrew.
I like the bit where Ben is watching his "favourite UA-cam channel" @7:48 :) Even though I've heard these tips before, I often forget when I see a wilting plant and too hastily reach for the watering can before thinking or testing with the methods described here.
Love your cheery videos, Ben! Thanks for all the great tips! I live in Florida where last week the air temp next to my garden in the sun was 114 F. I just installed shade cloth, 40%. I’ve seen videos that say for veggies it’s important not to exceed 30 or 40%. Checked temperature under the shade cloth and it has been 8 to 10 degrees cooler. Really helps but it is something of an experiment for me.
That's a huge difference in temperature and likely helps your veggies to survive.
In between my tomato plants I've dug in plastic pots. I water into these, like a cheap Olla. The water goes straight down to the roots and it does not splash the leaves. It saves greatly on water. I have 8 plants along a dry hot wall, and they are very happy with the one 10L watering can I split amongst them every morning.
That's a great way to make sure every drop of water gets to the roots.
I saw that tip on another’s gardeners videos and plan to do that with my raised bed that I just built. So excited to try it. I saved my coconut water bottles to use. Win win!
Thanks for the chuckle. “Sometimes it can go a surprisingly long time without rain, thee to four weeks!” We can go 6 - 8 months without rain here in California sometimes!
Wow - that's quite a difference!
You guys get rain??? We get dust.
Same in Texas this year.
With my job, I don't wake up until 12-1pm and was watering midday! I shall switch to after work. Thanks for the tip 👍
Thanks Ben, I learn something I can use in every single one of your videos. I keep a bucket in the shower to catch the cold water before it warms up enough to get it. When I wash dishes by hand I do the same with a big pasta pot in the sink. I let them cool and then into the garden. I also have a rain butt but could use a second. Luckily (?) in Scotland so far the summer it's been solidly wet every few days so those really thirsty potatoes haven't needed anything from me except grass clippings.
Full points for making every drop of water count Rebecca! :-)
I really need to start doing this. I reckon there must be half a bucket full at least every time I shower.
If you let your treated water sit for a day before using it for watering, most of the chlorine should dissipate out of it
I think you're right about watering twice. Often dried out soil seems quite hydrophobic, and quite easily just flows through containers, but if you prime it first and come back, it's much more able to hold the water than just let it pass through. Good topic, it's amazing how dry soil sometimes stays even after watering...someone should do a cross section video one day!
Yes, I wait til the first small amount of watering has sunk in rather than run across the top before I add any more.
With pots, I tend to go round 3-5 times, allowing it to soak in rather than pour through
Yes! And the fact that water doesn't spread out, it only goes straight down, so if you only water one half of a pot, you're only water one half of the roots!
Good point Reggie - yes, you're spot on there.
Everything I water gets twice watering, including my flower beds and lawn
Fun fact (which I learned from a Bill Bryson book). Our nerves can't actually feel 'wet'. We can feel hot, cold and texture, and a combination of those tells us if something is wet or not. If you have your clothes drying on the line on a cold day it's hard to tell if it's still damp or just cold. Or if a baby pees on you at body temp while you're changing their nappy you wont' realise until it starts to cool (you know how I know!). So a feeling a combination of cold and squishy, rather than warmer and crispy, shows you if your plant is drying out.
Cool comment 😊
That's a great fact Claire. And I know what you mean about the baby pee!
Another helpful, cheerful and relaxing video! Thank you so much. You have such a beautiful garden. I love to see it thriving. My idea is not so much for watering but for preventing evaporation: I planted a bedding plant (lobelia) around my container cucumbers. The lobelia covers the soil around the cucumbers and seems to be doing a good job of preventing the containers from drying out too quickly. I actually did this because I grew lobelia from seed and had more plants than I did containers! But it seems to be working really well. I also invested in a water catchers/plates for each container. That's also made a huge difference with both preventing water loss and making sure plants soak up their weekly feed.
What a colourful ground cover the lobelia must make. :-)
@@GrowVeg Thank you, it is! And the pollinators love it. I hope you and your family are doing well in this awful heat!
Thank you! Your videos are much appreciated and very informative. Much love and gratitude from Scotland where I'm doing my best to grow fruit, herbs and vegetables. 💜
Thanks for that - and I do hope you fruits and veggies are growing well so far this season. :-)
Thank you for sharing so much on your channel! My 5 year old and I have enjoyed watching the segments and using the techniques in our garden.
So pleased to hear that Ashlee - thank you to both of you for watching.
Rain water off my roof in two of the large water containers. One for the horses and one for the garden. We rigged the end cap to fit a hose nipple with reducing pipe and a connector. Well off to water right now before church. Y’all have a blessed Sunday, and remember..the best fertilizer is prayer !
Brilliant Tonie - great to have natural water to hand like that.
Great tips.👍
Let's just say, I've NEVER over Watered anything in a Pot. May they RIP. Lol.
TFS GV, & take care everyone. ❤🙂🐶
🤣
Haha - we all tend to under or over watering, so don't be too hard on yourself!
@@GrowVeg 👍🌱🤗❤🙂🐶
@@rosethorne9076 👍🌱🤗
I bought a moisture probe and it's revolutionised my watering! I do about a quarter of the watering I did as I didn't realise that just under the surface the soil was either moist or wet.
Great idea Charlotte. Great to be able to use water more efficiently (and save your time!).
I do the same as you. One time around and then again another round, to ensure the plants actually get some water without runoff. It makes a huge difference especially in grow bags.
In South East England we have had very little rain for months...... I've gone through 600L of water vai the tap,in to water butts first so the chemicals can disperse. Plus when we have had had to use hose pipe to direct water. Rather not use that way as it can go everywhere.
I would like to thank you Ben coz if it wasn't for you I wouldn't have managed to grow anything as never have before this year but are doing quite well this year.
So thanks Ben. Keep it all coming to help everyone.
That's great to hear Cheryl - I'm so pleased you're managing to grow some good food this year. Keep up the good work also! :-)
@@GrowVeg we have started harvesting the start of the peas and runner beans,not meant on them as peas still small plants and the beens have gone berserk but not growing much,may get more.
Have had 5,15L grow bags full of onions,haven't counted how many lol but lots and some shallots, also had the potatoes,not as big as I expected but will try again next year. Have got some in ATM that we are hoping to get some baby potatoes from,not expecting much,but they were shop brought ones that went mad and sprouted loads of chits so instead of binning em we said we would try to grow from em. Worth trying.
Also brought a bargain box of seeds cheep so now trying beets, spinach beets, carrots the round ones. Really trying tgis year and I'm loving it.
I'm in New Zealand and have a 1200 litre overflowing into a 900 litre, on the other side I have a 450 litre tank overflowing to two 100 litre bins. Also off the garage a 250 litre, also off my shade house another 250 litre guttertank. Helps with water bills! And lovely soft water. Great site.
That's a lot of harvested rainwater - top job!
My tip is to weed while you water - the watering makes it easier to pull up the weeds, you can wash the soil from the weed roots to retain it, and as you pull up the weeds, it's a handy way to see how dry the soil is that comes up with the weed.
Great tip. :-)
Oh, this is a good one. Seeing how dry the soil is when it comes up with the weed. Well done with this tip!
Exactly. I do the same. Water with one hand and weed with the other. 👍
My sentiments exactly! It's so much easier that way!
One way I pull out dandelions, is I use 2 fingers (one each side of the dandelion), and dig until I have a firm grip on the root, and then I pul and twist and it comes out super easy
Timing of this video is spot on as I too am "enjoying" the Oklahoma heat - about 20 days over 100 and counting. However, my garden wishes it was September/October
And, no rain as we have had just .2 inches - 5mm in a month. Trying to stay ahead of the heat drying out the soil is becoming a daily checkup. I have a moisture gauge I use to check the soil moisture and water accordingly. Planning for second season is being impacted, and potentially delayed as the ground temp in my various beds is between 89 and 109 degrees, and today is one of our cooler days.
☀☀☀🥵😎
On the other side the heat is doing wonders for my cantaloupe and watermelon.
That's quite some heat Tom. Great that at least some of your plants are enjoying it! :-)
I have some sloping beds and water just runs off when it's dry. I've started using drinks bottles filled with water, lids off and a couple of pin pricks in the bottom so the water slowly drips out over an hour or so. I put these at the base of my plants so all of the water gets to the roots, it saves loads of water and time
Look into amending your beds by turning whem into swales. Lots of how to and why on UA-cam. Geoff lawsons videos are a good place to start. Swales harvest and slow the water through the slope. All quite interesting once you get into how they work. Well worth a look!
Hi Mark, that's a great way to do things. As well as swales, you could also create levees around your plants to trap the water.
Ah I'm not familiar with swales, thanks for that I will look into it!
I've made ollas for all my tomato plants from large terracotta pots. I put a coin at the bottom to cover the drain hole (A looney or tooney works well if you have access to Canadian coins) secured with calk, and use the pot dish as a lid. In my maritime climate the tomato plants really struggle with blossom rot and all kinds of mildews, so using ollas really helps take the water to the roots and keep it off the stems and leaves. I fill up the pot with water every few days, and it will gradually release moisture to the soil and roots where it's needed. In fall when I remove each pot I find tomato roots grown all around them.
What a really fantastic idea! :-)
if buying an IBC try and get a black one, or if not paint a white one with bitumen paint, I thin this with a bit of white spirit and it's very quick and effective to paint. black ones prevent light and stop algy forming in the water, they look better too.
cheers
Brilliant advice, thanks Tom.
👍...Excited about Pollinators 🐝 next time!😁
To water my garden is one of my absolute favourite things to do in this world. So calming, soothing and I love how it smells combined with all the green. 💚
Though, after overwatering cucumber plants in hot summer, I actually resorted to terracotta pots for my potted outdoor plants as well as fabric grow bags. This was easier than to change myself, but I am working on it 😁 Yes, I killed cucumber by overwatering.
We have 6 large barrels to collect rain water, and they are spread around all corners of our house. Also, on built structures out in the yard. I would like some drip system, at least for some beds, but for now I´ll have to make do with the barrels. (Will use the hose when the barrels are empty). I mulch as much as possible.
Sounds like you're being as thorough as possible with your water collection and conservation Linda.
I live in Idaho (USA) and in the summer, the County opens up the ditch water system so farmers can water their crops. With that in mind, they also offer it to homeowners who can connect to it much like you would for City water. Two years ago, our well pump broke and I nearly lost all my trees and plants, so we decided to connect to the ditch system. The only problem I have now is that I have so much water, I think I am OVER watering. Many of my plants have gone to seed and I nearly lost my entire strawberry patch. It is starting to warm up with triple digit temperatures, but I've disciplined myself to watering twice a week and checking in-between to be sure the soil is moist below. My over-watering has also caused a slight earwig problem which I've promptly addressed. So, yes. I've learned that over-watering is not a good thing. This was a great video.
It can be hard to get the perfect balance, but sounds like you're getting there. :-)
We use the kids paddling pool water throughout summer. This way the chlorine has a few days to off gas, and the paddling pool is constantly refreshed.
Great use of grey water (though in my experience it tends to end up as bitty mosquito larva water!)
That's a smart move. I've also done that in the past.
This video made me a subscriber, thanks brother🙌🏽🤙🏽
Nice one - thanks so much for the sub, and a very warm welcome to you! :-)
Thank you very much Ben, for the watering tips! Now you've inspired me to collect rainwater!
That's great to hear! :-)
I plant all my plants in slight depressions - similar idea to the tomato halos nitelite78 mentioned. Water will collect in them during rains, or I can easily water with little to no runoff if the weather's dry. We're lucky enough to have a pond on our property; it's too mucky to swim in, but between the turtles and koi and other residents, the water is full of nutrients and organic matter. I put an inexpensive sump pump in the pond and pump the water up to my garden. The plants love it and it doesn't stress the well we use for the house.
How wonderful to have a pond - that must make watering a lot easier. :-)
4 weeks without rain...oh what a joy that would be! here in Perth we have 6 months!
Oh wow, that is incredibly dry. Hope you get some good rain soon.
Just the usual. We don't usually get rain from Nov to May.
Thank you for all the good information! I have about 3500 sq ft of garden here in North Florida, US. We have extremes of weather here, and from mid-June through September, cope with heat in the upper 90's and low 100's, periods of heavy rain and drought, unbelievable disease and pest pressure, mainly because it never gets cold enough, long enough to kills things off. It's a challenge, but we do have pretty much year 'round gardening. Many use weed fabric, which I've found to be expensive and tends to be an ideal environment for fire ants (fire ants come from the depth of Hell itself - they sting and cause painful, puss-filled blisters!). Mulch here pretty much harbors pests, but we do use pine needles and straw, if we can be assured of getting straw that hasn't been treated with Grazon. What works for me for watering? I use buried drip tape. My garden is divided into two Zones, and each Zone had 30 ft rows with buried drip tape. Depending on the crop, I plant either single (on top or beside the tape) or double (on either side of the tape), and can water in the most efficient way. The water goes directly to the roots, and has less evaporation, and it keeps weeds down because I'm not watering between the rows. Overhead watering here promotes disease, and the humidity here is very high. On outrageously hot days, however, I will run an overhead sprinkler just to cool plants down.
Great that you've buried your drip tape - that will make watering so much more effective. :-)
Great job Ben. I think you covered the basics very well. Here in water-starved, drought-stricken Sacramento, Ca, zone 9b, I irrigate ALL my beds with drip irrigation and lots of mulch of different varieties. I use lawn clippings and sometimes get mulch from tree trimmers in the area, I also make compost in a 90 gallon barrel that only takes a few months to process. I use organic fertiliser and fish emulsion during the continual growing season.
Have you found the Brad Lancaster videos about rainwater harvesting? I'd imagine they'd be helpful in your situation.
@@claireskrine4837 Rainwater collection for irrigation is legal in my area and I capture about 50 gallons each year that I save for summer plants. , thanks.
@@stephenhope7319 That's great! I'm finding it fascinating how ingenious people can be to collect rainwater in dry areas. I'm in the UK so not so much of an issue at the moment :D
Thanks Stephen. You sound like you're doing all the right things. Hope the drought breaks for you soon. I've been watching the situation where you are with interest and sympathy.
I am watching my favourite UA-cam channel at 6.30 in the morning. Thanks for the tips. Really useful and timely.
Great stuff! Thanks for watching. :-)
I live in central France. For the last 4 years we've had hose pipe bans, even to being fined for using well, spring or rain water
So we recycle the bath water in the 18 metre x 4metre polytunnel. We syphon the bath water into a "holding tank" and I water 3 beds each day over 6 days. On the 7th day I give every bed a drink of fresh water to help prevent the build-up of soap in the soil. No easy task lugging watering cans about 60 metres down to the tunnel . Just imagine how many trips I have to do with 18 beds to do. But for me it's worth it for all the fresh vegetables.
You go you ! That’s great !
Wow! Why will they fine people for using rain water? It comes from the sky, can be captured off a roof and recycled into your own garden. How do they get away with controlling rain water use?!
@@ruthprattley9318 Any hint of legal action I would ask them "do you have permission from the supplier to claim his water?".
God bless you for all that you do to have fresh produce! I pray for your great health, strength and long life to continue to do the things that you love to do. 🙏🌱🌻🌺🙏
@@ruthprattley9318 It's not using the WATER that's the problem. It's using the HOSE. Carting it in watering cans or buckets is OK. I never could understand the reasoning behind that.
Thank you sharing your excellent experience.
I use the drip irrigation system and it works well in Oklahoma! This year is another dust bowl year! It has been over 100 for the past two weeks and no rain for a month so far! Terri le!
Fingers crossed it rains for you soon.
how long do you leave the water on for?
Thank you for this - this U.S. northeast heat wave (40°C) has been stressing my container tomatoes so much! I will try your method of also watering in a tray from below!
I actually use a moisture meter for my grow bags as they tend to dry out faster than my raised beds. My yard has a slight slope, so one end of my raised beds tends to be more moist. So I'll use the moisture meter on that higher end to ensure everything is okay. I water in the morning when I'm off or teleworking from home and in the evenings when I must go into the office. I agree with some of the other comments, that weeding is easier with wet soil.
Sounds like you've got a good system there.
I use grass clippings on my raised beds, but I don´t dry them out. As long as you cover with at most an inch of green clippings, there do not appear to be any adverse effects. They dry out pretty quickly on the beds themselves and cut watering down considerably. I mow the lawn every 10 to 20 days and just top up the mulch. I live in N.W. Spain, Galicia and although this summer is pretty dry it probably rains as much here as it does in the UK.
Thanks for that Julian. Yes, spreading the clippings thinly and often seems to be the best way to use them, so they don't tangle up into a wet mat - not that that would be a problem this summer!
I use the water from my salad spinner to water the flower pots on the kitchen deck. It’s about 3 lites of water every time I wash my lettuce for a salad and it helps me keep my planters watered, one planter at a time.
Brilliant - making every drop count!
We're using left over woodshavings to mulch ours. It's handy as there's too much of it to just add it to our compost but, this way, it still ends up composting down. We can't install a water butt here on our rented house but when the shed goes in we'll be puttinv one on that!
Glad you'll be getting a butt in place - rainwater's much the best. :-)
I have clay soil which turns into cement during a dry spell. I also garden on a very large area and a have a well. I have 2 rain barrels and also collect the water from my dehumidifier in the cellar. Good video. Thank you!
I've been mulching with my grass clippings and it makes a world of difference in terms of moisture retention and soil temperature. It also nearly eliminated soil borne disease and helps with weeds.
I built an under soil irrigation system for raised beds. I used 22.5mm plastic over flow pipe because you can joint it with JG Speed fit 22mm fittings. I drilled 1mm holes along each piece on 100mm centres. The pipes are buried about 100mm from the surface and have been pretty effective.
Ingenious David - top job!
Thanks Ben great information on watering Theres a big difference between container n ground gardening I've made these mistakes over watering Love your videos 😊 👍
This will sound weird, but I've recently discovered aquarium gravel - very fine, a light colour reflects the sun (though white looks like you've dumped a load of salt on), and it goes some way to stopping the water running over the surface of the container and down the sides and straight out of the bottom. I'm using it on some of my window boxes.
There is a huge difference, you're right Patricia.
@Claire Skrine - great idea to use the aquarium gravel. :-)
I have found that old bamboo blinds make great shade covers. I place a panel of metal mesh (4" openings) over my bed like a hoop tunnel and drape a "matchstick" type bamboo blind over the top whenever we get a heat wave.
Brilliant improvisation Sue! :-)
Thanks so much Ben! I love your very helpful and fun videos and the garden planner is fantastic! Ive used it the past two years and its so easy!
That's wonderful to hear Jill. :-)
I use the round soaker hoses that put the water right where I need it. I burry it with grass clippings around the plants so the moisture stays longer
Straw going down tomorrow - another fab video -thank you
Thanks Debbie.
Just the advice I was seeking. Thank you 🌱
Great tips, the one about water from underneath and the mulching are really going to help me.
Wonderful to hear John. :-)
I plant my veggies in shallow (2" - 3" deep) trenches, fill the trenches with mulch and, when they need water, place my garden hose in the trench and fill it with water. Using a soaking hose in the trench also works well.
What is superb idea!
If you have some kind of stone path in your garden, it also helps to wet the stones to bring down the temperature in the garden. I did this yesterday evening in my backyard, and I could very clearly feel the difference in air temperature stepping from the wet area onto the dry tiles. If the air cools down, less water evaporates. It won't make a huge difference, maybe, but it's still something. Your plants may also appreciate it during a heatwave, when the air temperature maybe won't drop that much during the night otherwise.
Great tip, thank you. :-)
Hi from zone 5 in Iowa, US. I mulch with straw. I water deep & I use a "moisture meter" to check the soil in my raised beds & containers to see if they need watering. I can go for a week without watering. The soil stays wet. lV your videos.
What a great idea - I've never heard of a moisture meter so will have to investigate, thanks.
Like the info and the humor!
I break up the soil around large plants/trees and between rows, with a small fork and water directly to the aerated area. This prevents run-off, and helps get the water down deep and quickly.
I am going to try using a wetting agent too, this may help prevent run-off, then I’ll mulch around the base.
What a great idea. :-)
I use the water that drips from my air conditioner which is filtered. Great video as usual!
Ingenious - thanks Daniel.
I do this as well. It's a LOT of water, and it keeps it from going under the foundation of the house.
Thank you!!!! From a beginner gardener 😁🙏🏼
Most of my planters (tomatoes, cucumber, herbs, strawbs) and all of my hanging baskets (flowers) have a built in reservoir, so I water directly into that and the plants drink as they need it. I have drip hoses in the border and in pots that don't have a reservoir (connected to different timers as they have different requirements e.g how long to water them, and how frequently - the timers are connected to soil moisture meters) so everything gets watered from 6 am and I can stay tucked up in bed :-) The only thing that I struggle with is my patio blueberries, they're in two pots of ericaceous soil but I don't have a downpipe or surface to run rainwater off so I occasionally have to give them tap water. This is my 2nd year so I'm hoping for a crop but it's not looking good so far!
Wow - you have your watering set up like a true pro. Good work!
Lol! Perfect Timing. I'm a seasoned gardener and still make mistakes. I have a volunteer squash plant that got too big to get close to and is nestled in the asparagus bed. Squash have a tendency to look wilypted in the heat and you think they need a drink. I couldn't get close enough to check the soil and the volunteer sunflowers are creating shade. Yesterday I noticed one of the squash fell off because I watered too much.
Pots are easy and terracotta I could just leave in a bin of water as they dry out very quickly here.
Sandy soil that I am improving is tricky as not all areas are the same with organic material. We just had rain thankfully and the rain tanks are full for the heat coming this week. So if you can reach the plant check the soil with your finger as overwatering can happen to us all.
I found I have a ton of grubs and they can eat off the feeder roots and make a healthy plant look as if it is drying out.
Have you or anyone else used beneficial nematodes to get rid of grubs? Do they work?
Hi Dusty. Yes, my zucchini/courgettes often wilt in the heat of the day then spring back again once it cools off.
I haven't every used beneficial nematodes, so can't comment, but know many people do with success for things like vine weevil grubs.
@@GrowVeg thank you! I just learned if squash are not pollinated fully that they can fall off also, but I think it may have been over watering.
Yes, the grubs, I will need to try the nematodes. I was hilling some potatoes and in a square foot I have found up to 9 grubs--not good! Mainly see them in my potatoe area. Maybe I don't have as poor of soil as I thought, but grubs eating the roots off. Go figure that this year I only seen about 5 potatoe beetles and make up for it in grubs.
Hi Ben, i use a Water Butt if possible but at the moment in this weather the Water Butt is really low, so at the moment it's the Hosepipe for now but i do mulch with Coco Coir wood chips which dissolve in the soil. Take Care and Stay Safe.
Barry (the Wirral)
Thanks Barry. Same here - water butts have now run out. Hope we get some good rain soon. Stay safe also. :-)
Hi Ben great video this is the first year that I'm seriously doing gardening and your videos help a lot. I subscribe to your grow veg website. I'm done my planning that way . Regarding watering I have got 6 x 200 litres water butts and 2 x 1,000 litres IPC tanks and a 3,000 litres water harvesting system so shouldn't run out of water this year. Kept up the good work.😀😀
That's a lot of water! :-)
Hello, I live in the southwest USA. Hot, dry, . I have six rain barrels to catch what little rain we might get. I’ve had to use shade cloth on my entire garden to keep it from cooking and drying up or needing watering twice a day. My garden is all in one area of my yard. So it’s easy to shade it. I water in the morning. My garden is doing a lot better with the shade cloth. It’s great to see your garden.
What a great setup you have - that shade cloth seems to be saving you a lot of extra work.
one of my Neighbours has just started adding wool into the compost they make. i shall look into it myself. i have seen local garden centre starting to sell it as well. seems like a new popular trend.
We have a bucket in our shower stall where we collect all the water as it's heating up. Great for watering vegetables and the compost bins.
Very resourceful Irene - well done!
I think home gardeners should think about putting at least a good part of their beds on drip irrigation to save time and ensure even watering. The rest can be hand-watered, and that's good because it's important to regularly get out in the garden and inspect for issues anyway. Gardens don't work too well on autopilot.
I am a relatively new gardener and I have found what you have said to be expressly true. I have struggled to fine tune my watering in order to get it right. My drip irrigation is an ongoing project that will never be finished to the point of auto pilot but has greatly reduced the headache/heartache of failure in the beginning of my journey.
My garden is too far from a water source to put it on a drip irrigation system, so it all has to be done by hand watering.
@@samueljaramillo4221 Like if you can hand water you are close enough to drip irrigate, but OK :-) what are you walking from the Moon?
@@samueljaramillo4221 you can use soaker hoses. I just drag the hose and connect to the soaker set in that bed. I do have a timer on the spigot as I get busy and forget to turn it off. But if you can hand water, you can connect your hose up to either drip irrigation or soaker hose.
@@51rwyatt
my water source is about 150 feet from my garden. It’s easier to hand water the whole garden in 15-20 minutes than running a soaker hose for hours.
Thank you! Your videos are the best!
Thanks Jennifer. :-)
Hi Ben, great video with lots of useful tips for watering. Thanks for sharing and take care 🙂
You're welcome Christine, thanks for watching. :-)
Some people use tomato halos to help with watering. A cheaper alternative is just to cut rings a few cm high from old, broken plastic plant pots or plastic buckets, put them in the soil in the planting area and then plant your young plants. I do this for tomatoes but also pumpkins and squash. The plastic ring sits an inch or so above the soil line and this lets you really focus watering around the base off the plant without water just running off. I basically just add water to the top of the ring and it all soaks down onto the root ball.
This also means the surface outside the ring remains drier and so discourages slugs.
What a superb idea!
Definitely using this!!!
Thanks for all your posts… so helpful to me a new gardener 🌸…
Shalom from Florida
You're very welcome - thanks for watching. :-)
Thank you! Very helpful!
I even leave a couple garden buckets put when it rains. I'm always surprised how much you can get from that. Just make sure you cover it after the rain or use it. Cause bugs and critters love to get in there.
Das ist eine gute Idee. Wir haben insgesamt 10 Regentonnen, aber dennoch macht es Sinn, noch mehr Regenwasser zu sammeln, denn bei uns ist es aktuell mit über 40°C sehr heiß und der Boden ist extrem trocken. Das mit den Eimern werde ich beim nächsten Regenschauer beherzigen 👋
I have two rain barrels that collect water from the house and garage. I could probably use another one. Together, they collect 110 gallons of water. I have miniature butterfly and button bushes beyond the reach of my hose, so these rain barrels come in handy for those and other beds.
It’s always worth having more rainwater storage if you can get it! 😀
Thank you my friend! Amazing info
I'm testing dug in clay pots and self-made Ollas build out of clay pots to hold some moisture close the plants.
While the Ollas seem to work, I might have a leak on some O I need to improve this for next year.
The clay pots (hole sealed with bees wax) is holding water well and with pot coasters on the top it's not evaporating. Ollas seem to work better because it goes for down into the soil while some plants with clay pots are still struggling.
Very clever improvisation there. :-)
Thank you for these tips. Very helpful!
Good-day Ben and Rosie!👋 Great info...much of which I learned the hard way.😀 As usual I learned something new! I just started collecting rain water this year and wasn't too sure about using the water when it goes green. It's nice to know I can still use it.🌻
We are in another week of temps between 103 and 107. I'm looking forward to fall.😃
Looking forward to next week knowledge drop!😃
Stay hydrated! 💕
I have been told that if you keep the light out the algae will not grow. So just an opaque container with a lid
@@trishgreydanus7004 Thank you!🙂
Hi Valorie. I'm glad that's proved a handy snipper of advice. We have temperatures hitting around 104-106 here in England tomorrow. New records being broken. Making sure I stay hydrated! :-)
@@GrowVeg I feel for y'all! 🥵 Hopefully this heatwave will break soon for us both.🙂
Thank you.
Beautiful.
Ben, Lovely! Thnk you!!!
I use my sump water pumped to a water trough (40 gals). Install an electric submersible pump attached to a standard hose and nozzle. I have 4 spare 20 gallon plastic carboys I keep spare water from sump. I mix fish emulsion in one these to fertilize and hand water using a barrel pump into hand cans.
Morning and thanks!
My way is not to water little and often but to water once in a while with a large volume of water. That way the water goes deep and plant roots chase it down rather than coming to the surface where they are at risk of drying out.
Large plastic bottles, for my hanging baskets I place strips of Capillary Matting under plants and leave ends in smaller pop bottles. I use halo too.
Thank you
No mosquitos today!! We had 4 days of rain in our whole season. Nov to Apr. Nicole in Menlo Park Calif USA
This may have been mentioned. I didn’t get to all of the previous comments. I just added an RV water filter to my outdoor water spigot so I’m not subjecting my plants to the chlorinated city water. I also collect rain water in a barrel but I believe I live under an umbrella. I can see the rain clouds all around me but it often passes right by my house.
Hopefully you get more consistent rain in the winter? This is often the time to make hay and collect as much rainwater as possible.
Hi Ben, in Australia water is scarce and becoming expensive. People are encouraged to reuse what's called grey water, which typically would be water from your showers and basins in the bathroom. Some information out there recommends using water from things like dishwashers or clothes washers, but people need to know that the detergents of the used are usually very salty. And of course adding salt to soils is very destructive. Also some detergents contain boron. I think this is reducing, but boron inhibits fruiting in certain species and is a determinant agriculture as to what can be grown in different areas. If you have thoughts on use of grey water from the house video on that could be very helpful. Also in the UK a lot of the water is reasonably hard. Hi calcium and magnesium in Melbourne where I live, the water is extremely soft and therefore the hardness of the water plus detergents and things could also be a determinant on whether grey water is beneficial or not.
Yes, these are all really important points to consider. Personally I would only ever use collected water from hand-washing of kitchen stuff, and water from baths and showers where ecological products were used. Just water that has only organic stuff in it and no artificial nonsense. Of course, the profile of mains water will be different to rainwater. So rainwater is always preferable. The first aim should be to collect as much rainwater as possible! :-)
@@GrowVeg Agreed but in most parts of Australia you would need a very large roof area and enormous tank to store that water and that is not enough for a decent sized garden so they push reuse very hard here
Thank you Mr Ben : )
Hello...I generally use butt water - rain water collected, though this ran out a few weeks ago as here in the UK we've had not much rain in the last month.
so I've had to resort to tap water , for now. Thank you Ben for sharing these valuable tips....X
I'm using tap water now too Angela - my butts have dried out. Need to install more!
@@GrowVeg yes... Wise idea 💡 ✨🔆
Hey there,found your channel from a suggestion on a facebook group to do with growing veg.
So glad i found it,I have grown a few things,but not all at once. This year I thought to myself I would love to grow a bit of veg,but take laid bk approach,see how it goes. Well I germinated some seeds & now I am hooked. I am a bit behind. To be honest i wasn't expecting to get into it the way i have lol..The only thing is i haven't got alot of money,for example my seedlings needed potting up & I had to use some used soil,it had roots in..I had to wait to get my new soil,but just worked with what I got..we have made a small amount of compost aswell..But when my seeds germinated it was hard not to get intrested,you want to see them thrive..
My cucumber plants are growing so quick,but I am scared to put them in the back garden..I don't know what to do..I have took them out(trying to climatise them)but it's been that hot they have dropped. I know that is something to do with the soil absorbing the water & the plants can't absorb it quick enough,at least I think thats along the right lines..I just don't want to kill them now. And is it true if you water them irregularly the fruit can grow oddly & the taste will be affected??..
Sorry for such a long winded message,it's just I am so excited,but nervous,any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hope you & everyone is keeping well,have a fab day & takecare,xx
Thanks for watching. :-) With any plant going outside for the first time you want to acclimatise it over at least a week to ten days. The best thing is to start slow - bring plants out for a few hours during the day, then gradually build up the time they spend outdoors. In hot weather, plants would also need to be shaded initially, then you can gradually move them into full sun. Regular watering is essential for cucumbers as they are a plant with a high water content - especially the fruits. So don't let the soil dry out too much or this can stress plants and cause issues with fruits setting/dropping.
Love this guy
Cheers Valerie - thanks for watching. :-)
7:49 Ben watching Ben. I love this guy lmao