Growing Crops

Watering with Soil Checks

A weekly inch estimate is useful for planning, but most gardeners make the final decision by checking the soil and the plant.

Check before watering

  • Check below the dry surface, near the active root zone rather than at one wet emitter.
  • If the soil is still evenly moist, wait and check again later.
  • If it is dry at the relevant depth and the crop needs water, apply water slowly enough to soak in.
  • Recheck after watering to learn how runtime or hand watering translates into soil moisture in your bed.

Inches, gallons, and hand watering

One inch over one square foot is about 0.62 gallons. Edaphia can translate an area-wide estimate into gallons when the growing location has dimensions.

With hand watering, you do not need to visualize inches coming from a hose. Water evenly, avoid fast runoff, and use the soil check to calibrate how much is enough.

Watering reminders

A reminder means it is time to check—not proof that the plant is dry. Edaphia groups eligible plants into the daily email digest so one watering check can cover several plants due at the same time.

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