Don’t get me wrong, lots of garden jobs are easier when it’s not pouring down with rain but if a drought goes on for a while the garden can really start to feel it. By watering wisely, I can save water to use for my garden any time of the year.

With the climate always changing, I’ve started paying much more attention to how and when I water to ensure I water wisely, being conscious of the water I use whilst looking after my garden!

I wanted to share some of the things I think about when watering wisely,  to not only save water, but save time and do the best for my plants too…

If you don’t have one in your garden, I’d urge you to try and squeeze one in. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and you don’t need a complicated system to set one up. You can even top them up using water from around the home – I have a bucket that I keep near the back door which I use when I’m waiting for the water to get hot out of the tap. The “waste” water goes into my water butt to keep it topped up! I’ve even got a hose set up from my water butt thanks to the ‘Flowmax Collect‘ – a handy pump that makes my watering directly from the waterbutt so easy and perfect if you don’t have an outside tap. A perfect solution to watering wisely in your garden.

One of the best things you can do in your garden is improve your soil. In early spring I mulched all of my beds and not only does it keep down the weeds which compete for water in the soil but, it helps to lock the moisture in. If you’ve got dry or heavy soil it’s well worth mulching, your plants will thank you for it and I bet you’ll notice a difference when it comes to watering!

As things warm up the garden can dry out quickly during the day. If you were to water in the heat of the day you’d likely lose much of the water to evaporation but you’d also risk scorching plants if there’s water on the foliage. In order to continue watering wisely, I like to water first thing in the morning, giving everything a good water directly into the soil. I mist seedlings when they are young but as plants get bigger I switch to watering the soil to ensure plants get the water they need.

It sounds so obvious but not all plants need the same amount of water. Make sure you test the soil by scraping some back, lifting pots and trays to see how heavy they are and looking for signs your plants need a drink. If the soil is dusty, the trays are light and the foliage is lacking in rigidity then give things a water.

This year I’m going to be trying the 25 pot watering kit in my greenhouse. Not only will this be saving me time as it waters automatically, it’ll be saving me water too! As I grow everything in pots in my greenhouse it can be hard to keep on top of watering regularly and so I usually end up giving everything a real soaking every couple of days which is not the best use of water. Instead, by watering little and often, the plants will be much happier and I should see an improvement in my harvests too!

As the garden starts to spring into life it’s important to get yourself into good habits when watering. Using the tips above, thinking about how and when you water and being conscious of how much you use will set you and your garden up for success!

Happy watering!

Amy from Instagram’s @Chicksandveg, is one of Hozelock’s brand ambassadors for 2021. Amy started her gardening journey a few years ago having moved to a new home with an overgrown and unloved garden. After the loss of her best friend, she turned to her garden as a way to keep her mind and hands busy. Her love of gardening has become her favourite (and most committed) hobby and she truly believes everyone should experience that feeling of harvesting homegrown veg and picking beautiful blooms. We hope you learnt something from our watering wisely tips.