Lots of rain around the area this weekend, but not enough to make a difference at our house. So I was up and watering again this morning. Here are some changes I’ve made to make the job easier:
1) I can’t believe I tolerated that leaky hose connection for so long. When I finally decided to fix it, I just unscrewed the hose, inserted an inexpensive yellow plastic HOSE WASHER, screwed the hoses back together and the leak was gone. I’ll probably save thousands of gallons this summer by making that one little change. So Number one–fix your leaky hose connections.
Number 2) Haul fewer feet of hose around. I now keep a long hose coiled on the back path and it really helps on labor. When I need to water the most distant beds, I just attach my main hose to the woods hose. I also keep a hose from my largest rain barrel near my driveway pots. Dragging hoses is a pain. Minimize.
Number 3) I carry a bucket when I’m watering widely spaced beds or shrubs. As I move from plant to plant, I drop the hose in the bucket. Can’t believe how much water I save this way, enough to water several plants. And I’m not just saving water, I’m saving time.
And finally, Change 4–Budget time for watering. I find this summer chore is much easier if I set aside time every day or so to keep up with it. I like to water by hand in the morning. The garden is fresh, and I can get up close and personal with my flowers and vegetables as I soak their roots and pull a few weeds. Fun…I love tending my plants.
So what are you doing for fun in the gardens? Share your success stories and photos. Time to reap the rewards of all that spring work.
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June 13, 2011 at 8:45 pm
kathy
Thanks for the watering tips! I have fun with stones in my garden, some of which I “ran into” while digging. A couple of my beds have rock decorations. One that I recently uncovered couldn’t be lifted so I rolled it into a bed and placed a bird bath on it. Fun, fun.
Kathy
June 16, 2011 at 12:16 pm
christineramsey
i love rocks! All of mine are imported, so I’ve had to move a really big one on-site. Pal Megan is really good at this, though. I think she uses a pry bar. Megan has built fabulous rock walls in her garden using native stone. I want to do a post about them one day. They add so much character and age to her beds.
And one more thing about the watering tips. I wasn’t born with this zen about planning for summer dry spells. Used to come home from a long day or night at work and curse mother nature for not helping me out. Much easier just to accept that dry spells and drought happen often here in the South. If I’m going to garden, I’m going to have to water. Once I quit kicking and screaming, the job became much easier.
Thanks for reading and thanks for comment. C