Your Calgary garden will require water throughout the growing season. A general rule-of-thumb is to provide your garden with one inch of water per week. This is best achieved by a slow, deep watering only ONCE per week. Many people with underground irrigation systems have their system set for daily watering. This leads to:
To check your irrigation rate, just put a measuring cup in your garden as you water. When one inch of water is in the cup, it's time to turn off the hose.
- development of a shallow root system that is dependent upon daily watering. Any periods of drought will not be tolerated by the plants.
- waste of precious resources (water)
- compaction of soil surface which leads to reduced infiltration of water
- run-off leading to soil erosion, uneven water distribution, and pollution of water sources from garden pesticides and fertilizers
- development of fungal diseases as the plants are constantly exposed to moisture
To check your irrigation rate, just put a measuring cup in your garden as you water. When one inch of water is in the cup, it's time to turn off the hose.
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