In gardening, watering is everything. Too much water and mold and other plant diseases can set in; too little, and well, you know—brown leaves, wilted plants, nothing to harvest. There are many ways to water a garden, and for the first few years, I simply watered my raised garden beds by hand with a garden hose and gentle shower attachment.
This meant that if we were away for a stretch of time, I had to sign someone up to water. And I had to constantly visually monitor the soil to see whether it needed more or less water than I was giving it. But often I didn't feel totally confident in just going by eyeballing things, especially because raised beds, although they drain more efficiently, tend to dry out more quickly.
To solve the problem of always having to be present to do the watering, I installed soaker hoses that could be programmed to water at set times and turn on and off remotely via a smart timer. I chose to use soaker hoses because they provide water at ground level, minimizing waste and keeping the leaves dry to limit diseases.
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But I still found myself constantly checking the weather to see whether or not it had rained. And I'd have to go out and look at the soil to make sure the garden was indeed getting the water it needed.
Then my husband discovered a soil moisture sensor that you can add to your system. It's a small device with a probe that you install right in the garden bed. There, it will continually monitor the temperature and moisture of the soil. Even better, the sensor connects to an app so you can view the soil's stats whenever and wherever you want.
Amy Brightfield
Now all we have to do is check the soil moisture monitoring app to decide if the garden needs water. And voila—the guesswork and stress of when and how much to water is gone. Plus, keeping the garden watered even when we're out of town is no problem anymore because both our moisture monitor and the timer for the soaker hoses can be operated remotely.
One more benefit is that we can have our irrigation system timed to water first thing in the morning without having to get up early to do it. This sets the plants up for plenty of moisture throughout the day, especially when it's hot and sunny. Plants also tend to absorb moisture better in the morning. If you're watering by hand, doing it in the morning gives the leaves a chance to dry off faster, which helps prevent powdery mildew and other leaf issues from developing.
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