×
  • Home
  • Daily
    • Composting
    • Container Gardening
    • Easy Healthy Recipes
    • Food Preservation
    • Garden Design
    • Garden Tools
    • Growing Fruits & Berries
    • Indoor Gardening
    • Pests & Diseases
    • Seeds & Seedlings
    • Soil & Fertilizer
    • Spice & Herb Gardening
    • Vegetable Gardening
    • Watering & Irrigation
  • Freebies
  • Videos
  • Magazines
    • Food Gardening Magazine
    • RecipeLion Magazine
  • Guides
  • Cookbooks
    • Beverages
    • Bakery
    • Breakfast
    • Appetizers
    • Salads & Dressings
    • Soups
    • Entrées
    • Side Dishes & Sauces
    • Desserts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Affiliate Program
  • Sponsor Program
  • Give a Gift
  • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
  • Manage Account
  • Authors
  • Keyword Index
  • Join

Food Gardening Network

Growing Good Food at Home

Join
Mequoda Publishing Network
  • Daily
    • Composting
    • Container Gardening
    • Easy Healthy Recipes
    • Food Preservation
    • Garden Design
    • Garden Tools
    • Growing Fruits & Berries
    • Indoor Gardening
    • Pests & Diseases
    • Seeds & Seedlings
    • Soil & Fertilizer
    • Spice & Herb Gardening
    • Vegetable Gardening
    • Watering & Irrigation
  • Freebies
  • Videos
  • Magazines
    • Food Gardening Magazine
    • RecipeLion Magazine
  • Guides
  • Cookbooks
    • Beverages
    • Bakery
    • Breakfast
    • Appetizers
    • Salads & Dressings
    • Soups
    • Entrées
    • Side Dishes & Sauces
    • Desserts
  • Sign In
  • Search

5 Hacks for Watering a Container Garden

5 Hacks for Watering a Container Garden

Watering a container garden can be a little challenging. But we've got a few tricks that will make it easier.

By Amanda MacArthur | November 22, 2022

watering a container garden

There’s probably not a gardener among us who doesn’t have a few stories of the zucchini they overwatered or the tomatoes that cracked because they let it dry too much between waterings. Unlike vegetables in the ground or in a raised bed, the roots of your container veggies can’t search deeper or wider for moisture. Nor can the soil drain any faster than the container allows.

When you account for the different sizes and materials of containers, figuring out the specifics of watering a container garden isn’t so easy. I won’t even get into what happens when you leave town, and your friend offers to water the garden for you…(In case you’re wondering, we are still friends. That was a long time ago.)

Fortunately, we gardeners are a resourceful and creative bunch, and there are a few tricks that will help keep your container garden nice and watered so you can focus on enjoying the scent of fresh oregano and mint in the garden.

Discover 7 top tips for growing, harvesting, and enjoying tomatoes from your home garden—when you access the FREE guide The Best Way to Grow Tomatoes, right now!

Watering a container garden: 5 Easy ways that work

1. Plastic bottle. This one takes a little forethought, but it’s about as easy as could be. Grab an empty and clean plastic soda bottle and poke several holes in the bottom and around the sides of the container. Bury it up to the neck alongside your seedlings when you put them in containers. You can fill the bottle with water, which will then slowly drain into the soil. It’s similar to a drip irrigation system.

2. Use saucers under your containers. When excess water drains from a container, it has to go somewhere. If you have saucers under your plants, that excess water will gradually get reabsorbed through the drainage holes or create a little extra humidity around your vegetables.

3. Mulch. It works just as well for help in watering a container garden (or should I say, maintaining the moisture in a container garden) as it does for raised beds and in-ground gardens.

4. Take advantage of your air conditioner. You may have noticed all the condensation that comes from running your air conditioner. This water is perfect for watering a container garden. Depending on the AC unit you have, you could attach a drip irrigation hose to the AC or a basin set up to catch the condensation. You might find this is all the watering your container garden needs. An air conditioner can produce as much as 20 gallons of condensation/water every day.

5. Use a pencil. This is a classic for determining if your plant needs water. Simply insert a pencil about an inch into the soil. If it comes out with dirt on it, you’re good. If it comes out clean, it’s time to water.

Discover 7 top tips for growing, harvesting, and enjoying tomatoes from your home garden—when you access the FREE guide The Best Way to Grow Tomatoes, right now!

So whether you’re leaving town for a few days or just want a good way to conserve water, these hacks for watering a container garden are yours. Try them out, and let us know how it goes!

Do you have any tips for watering your container veggies and herbs? I’d love to read your ideas in the comments.

« What to Do About Basil Leaves Turning Yellow
7 Aromatic Turkey Herbs You Can Grow and Dry »

Related Posts

  • How Often Should You Water Herbs Indoors?
  • How to Make Self-Watering Plant Bulbs From Recycled Bottles
  • How to Identify an Overwatered Plant

Tags

basil, drip irrigation hose, mint, oregano, tomatoes, Watering a Container Garden, zucchini

Comments

Click here to cancel reply.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Give a Gift

FREEBIE!

With your FREEBIE, you’ll also receive regular email messages from the Food Gardening Network. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Your email address is private. We promise never to sell, rent or disclose your email address to third parties.

Freebies

  • How to Grow a Vegetable Garden
  • 15 Easiest Fruits to Grow at Home
  • Growing Vegetables Indoors for Beginners
  • How to Master Spice and Herb Gardening at Home
  • The Best Way to Grow Tomatoes
  • Recipes from Your Garden
  • How to Start a Freedom Garden
  • Gardening in Every Season
  • Planning Your Perfect Food Garden
  • Plants for Bug Control Chart

Browse Topics

  • Composting
  • Container Gardening
  • Easy Healthy Recipes
  • Food Preservation
  • Garden Design
  • Garden Tools
  • Growing Fruits & Berries
  • Indoor Gardening
  • Pests & Diseases
  • Seeds & Seedlings
  • Soil & Fertilizer
  • Spice & Herb Gardening
  • Vegetable Gardening
  • Watering & Irrigation

We will be attending the following shows in 2023:

  • MANTS in Baltimore, MD
  • Connecticut Flower Show
  • Vermont Flower Show
  • Philadelphia Flower Show
Click here to schedule a time to visit with us at the show!

Enter Your Log In Credentials

This setting should only be used on your home or work computer.

  • Lost your password? Create New Password
  • No account? Sign up

Need Assistance?

Call Food Gardening Network Customer Service at
(800) 777-2658

Food Gardening Network is an active member of the following industry associations:

  • American Horticultural Society
  • GardenComm Logo
  • MCMA logo
  • Renewd logo
  • Manage Account
  • Join
  • About Food Gardening Network
  • Contact Us
  • Affiliate Program
  • Sponsor Program
  • Give a Gift
  • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

Food Gardening Network
99 Derby Street, Suite 200
Hingham, MA 02043
support@foodgardening.mequoda.com

FREE E-Newsletter for You!

Discover how to grow, harvest, and eat good food from your own garden—with our FREE e-newsletter, delivered directly to your email inbox.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Powered by
Mequoda Publishing Network
copyright © 2023 Mequoda Systems, LLC

Food Gardening Network® and Food Gardening Magazine® are registered trademarks of Mequoda Systems, LLC.

Go to mobile version