Watering does not have to be a complicated chore and, depending on rainfall, may not even be necessary once plants are established.
One of the dangers of gardening during the heat of summer is the possibility of overwatering your flowers and crops. The heat of midsummer can trick gardeners into thinking they have to provide extra moisture. However, this is not always the case.
A good rule of thumb is to provide 1 inch of water per week, between hand watering and naturally occurring precipitation.
To gauge this, one project to involve and educate your children would be to purchase and install a backyard rain gauge, allowing your children to measure naturally falling precipitation all season long. You can even teach your kids to become amateur meteorologists, predicting when rain will fall and how much to expect. Often, this information is included in forecasts from the National Weather Service.
When to water the garden is a matter of debate depending on which resource you consult. Most agree that either early morning or evening are best.
I prefer early morning, mostly due to our area’s high probability of attracting fungal disease and other plant ailments that fester overnight on wet plants.
Teach your children to water gently and to direct hoses or watering cans toward the base of the plant where the water has the greatest chance of soaking down to the roots where needed. A great way to accomplish this is to install soaker hoses that wind along the ground throughout your garden beds.
Watering at the base of the plant, rather than showering from overhead, eliminates wastewater and reduces likelihood of mildew and other fungal infections resulting from wet leaves.
Teach children to water with a gentle stream, not a strong spray.
When watering, slow and steady wins the race. Teach your children the importance of watering slowly and deeply, allowing the water to thoroughly soak into the ground, slowly and completely. Rapid watering results in most of the precious water evaporating, especially during the increasing warmth of early morning.
Another project for the whole family is to install and use a rain barrel or two to capture and use fresh rainfall, rather than expensive municipal water.
— Rob Zimmer: 920-419-3734, email@example.com; on Twitter @YardMD
Coming next week
100 Ways to Garden with Children on identifying garden insect pests and beneficial bugs.