The Basics: Watering

In the summer I water the fruiting plants [eggplant, green beans, tomatoes, peppers] every day and everything else every other day unless it rains. I live downtown a mile from the bay in Sarasota and it is often dry here when it is raining everywhere else. Stuff in the ground I water twice a week. I could probably get away with less, but I have plenty of water.

In the winter I water less frequently. It really depends on how humid it’s been, how hot, etc. I feel the soil of the fruiting plants and if they seem dry, I water. I also check them out when I get the mail in the evening. Does anyone seem listless? Water the next day.

[Sump pump and rain barrel.]

I use a combination of gray water [from our washing machine] and rain water [we have 10 rain barrels. What can I say, I can get obsessive]. The rain barrels are on the corner of each house catching the rain from the gutters. We haven’t used city water in maybe two years now. If you have an older house your washing machine is probably in a utility room or your garage and it’s dead easy to pull the discharge hose out and route it to a rain barrel. And the barrel doesn’t have to be lower than your machine—the pump in the washing machine will do all the work.

There are lots of ways to work your watering system. We have two sump pumps on each side of the house. Stephen got ours at Ace Pump in Sarasota, you can get them at Lowes or Home Depot. Stephen thinks he paid about $150 each for the pumps—1/2 horsepower units. Hook a hose to the pump, drop the pump in the rain or overflow barrel, plug it in and voila! You have water pressure. To remember; you can’t use a nozzle with the laundry water because it will soon get clunked up with fibers.

You could also let gravity work. Put your rain barrels up on some cinder blocks to get them above the height of the containers and you’re good to go. If you hooked your barrels up to an irrigation system—which could be as easy as securing a hose over your containers and drilling holes where you need them—you could pretty much automate the process. I think about it ‘cause it would save time but I like watering by hand. I get to talk to the neighbors, the cats have fun running around and acting crazy, I plan the meal for the evening. It’s also a good opportunity to inspect the plants for pests.

[The kids tired out from playing in the yard.]

Gratuitous plug: If you live in SW Florida and need help with setting up your water system or raised beds, my husband Stephen, the handyman, is available for hire.