When it's time to water the garden, you have several options for getting water from Point A — your outdoor faucet — to the thirsty plants at Point B. Which one you choose depends on how much time you have and how much you want to invest in watering equipment.
Hauling water in watering cans and buckets. Containers such buckets and watering cans are inexpensive, handy for watering plants grow in containers and convenient for mixing liquid fertilizers. By watering individual plants, you waste less water and get the chance to observe the plant's health. On the downside, you can only carry a limited amount of water in them, so they're best for when you only have a few plants to water.
Standing there with a hose. Hoses are inexpensive and let you deliver just the right amount of water to each plant. Like watering cans and buckets, a hose helps you waste less water by delivering it right where you want and gives you an opportunity to observe each plant's health. But watering with a hose can be time consuming, and you have to drag the thing all over the yard. Take care to water gently, so the water has time to soak in and so the force of the water doesn't splash dirt onto your plants.
Using a soaker hose. A soaker hose slowly sweats water from its entire surface. They're designed to be buried just under the soil, so little water evaporates to the air and so the water fans out in a triangular pattern in the plant's root zone.
Soaker hoses are best for closely spaced plants, such as rows of vegetables. They're inflexible enough that it's hard to twist and turn them through a bed of flowers, even if you pin them in place (you can buy U-shaped metal pins, or make them from the ends or wire hangers). Soaker hoses last longer if you dig them up and store them at the end of each season, which is a hassle. They also last longer if you don't accidentally slice through them with a spade because you can't see where they're buried.
Sprinkling with a hose-end sprinkler. Attaching a sprinkler to a hose lets you water a large area while you go to do something else. To save water, don't buy an oscillating one (the kind you ran through as a kid) that sends the water high into the air, where much of it evaporates before touching the ground. And skip the doughnut-shaped ones that you have to keep moving around. Choose one that shoots water in a thick laterial spray and that lets you adjust the height and direction of the spray.
Using a drip irrigation system. A drip irrigation system is a network of plastic tubes with emitters that drip water at the base of a plant. Emitter sizes vary, so you can control how much water a plant gets based on its size. Drip systems are great for plants because they deliver water slowly and evenly to plant root zones, with little evaporation. The emitters can clog with soil, so they require frequent inspection.
A drip irrigation system can be as elaborate and precise as you want to make it, but the more complex the system, the more planning it requires. Learn the basics of how to install one in our project Set up a garden irrigation system.
Sprinkling with an underground sprinkler system. The Cadillac of watering systems, an underground sprinkler system is a network of buried pipes with above-ground nozzles. These systems are expensive, usually require professional installation and upkeep, and can waste water if they're not closely managed (we've all seen water flowing into the street or an automatic sprinkler system running when it's raining). Underground sprinkler systems are most often used for large lawns, especially in arid regions.
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