I've been gardening since I was 10 - I'm 64 now. I come from a long line of gardeners, studied horticulture at the college level and am a certified Master Gardener. I feel confident in saying YOU have the best information and excellent delivery of your information - thank you!

I swear, after going through probably 50-80 different videos on gardening, it seems like this guy is speaking directly to me and answering all of the questions I have that no one else was answering. When I get through watching his videos I'm going to be a Master Gardener, I know it!

0:35 1. Wrong time 2:53 2. Watering over the top 5:01 3. over/under water 9:33 4. watering at the same time 12:42 5. Not using mulch

My 9 year old and I started a container garden this year, and oh man, he constantly worries about his “babies”, and we have to constantly keep him from overwatering! This will be a great explanation video to show him (and I needed it too!) thanks!

You mentioned Ray Padula products. I once had one of their garden hoses for 3 years and it failed, just from a lot of everyday use/sun/weather. I always save receipts...this hose had like a 5 year guarantee. I contacted them with a copy of my receipt, and they immediately replace my hose at no charge without any questions. I always buy their products now.

Crazy! I live in San Diego and have totally walked passed your garden. No joke, I remember walking by while on a construction project and thinking, “Now, that’s a decent garden!” Thanks for the watering advice, neighbor.

I’m a new gardener, never even had houseplants before. Now I’m starting a container vegetable garden in my yard and I LOVE your videos. You give great information, you get straight to the point and it’s so easy to understand and apply your teachings. Thank you.

I’m starting community school garden and your channel has helped me and my team out so much. Before I watched your videos, I knew nothing about gardening, and now I’m teaching others about gardening. Thank you so much!! I love your videos! Keep educating and inspiring!

I use that " water,wait,rewater" with my houseplants. It helps to keep water from running through the pot too fast. Great info. Thanks.

I'm watching your video for the 2nd time cuz you are really clear. I have been a gardener for 50 years and have run into every garden problem imaginable. for the last 20 years i have been gardening in the high desert of New Mexico. A of today, June 26th we haven't had any rain since the last little snow in April. watering is the most important thing here. Thanks for all the good pointers. And pray for rain.

I started using mulch this year up in super hot, dry Northern California, and it has been SUCH a game changer.

Hey, not really commenting a lot, but i have to say, i like your channel. I'm a gardener myself, and i already know a lot of what your talking about, but i think you're a really fine guy, and i really like your style of presentation. Gardeners never know everything about their business, although they sometimes act like they do. I'm more into landscaping, but love vegetable gardening, and i learned a lot from you, so, thank you. What came to my mind watching this vid, is watering seedlings. I use a spray bottle for that. That way, you can give your little babies just the right amount of water at exactly the spot they need it. keep on gardening, it's one of the most important things a person can do.

Hi, Kevin. KZfaq recently suggested you to me and I'm glad it did. Of course I am now a subscriber. I'm a 59 year old organic gardening nut with almost no experience but with years of intensive study. I must say I love your teaching style. Despite my over-a-decade's-worth of study (mostly from reading and a horticulture class I took in college), I learn things from every one of your videos. I believe that teaching is the most noble calling. You are a great teacher, Kevin. Thank you for sharing with us all.

I'm totally digging the long watering wand. I live in Louisiana where the spiders think I grow the plants for them. They keep bugs off but they also jump at me if I get to close. Can't lean in and water them. I've been watering them like rain. The plants like it ok but I don't like doing it because it smushes the little sprouts into the dirt, and it can burn the leaves if the sun is to bright and it always is here. I've watered during the day and the water just became magnified droplets of death for the leaves. Definitely going to have to get a wand.

That planter/container you held when you talked about over watering has a drainage hole, the black button on the bottom is removable, I kept mine one when I was putting soil in, but once I planted I was able to pull It off ☺️

I'm in the process of planting my FIRST garden and am I glad I found your channel. TY for this valuable watering wisdom.

I love this guy. Easy voice to listen too. Very knowledgeable and has taught me heaps. I’ve never been good at looking after plants but have been trying to create a little garden on my balcony. Slowly getting better thanks to Kevin.

I’m lucky if I remember to water my plants 😣. I’ve done better this season thank to your channel. I mainly garden because it’s relaxing and it’s time for myself, if anything survives my “black thumb” then even better. These tips are definitely where I’ve gone wrong in the past so thank you

I like the analogy of a dry sponge. If a kitchen sponge is really dry and you run it under a steam of water, most of the water just runs off because it is slightly hydrophobic. So, as Kevin said, water a little, give it time to soak in &open up and be receptive to absorbing the next watering. For$10-15 you can buy a water & pH combo meter for house plants (which I realized I needed cuz, yes, I over watered too many of them) So now, when I water I carry around a little bucket with my meter & a few tools and before I water, I use the meter instead of my finger, cuz it can go deeper and test different levels in the soil then sometimes, especially when the weather changes, I check again AFTER watering to see if I watered enough. and since Im Spending a few extra minutes at many of the plants, I have my bucket & tools to take care of weeds, trimming, harvesting, etc. Soon I hope to have 96% of my plants automatically watered with drip or sprinklers.

Mel's mix: 1-1-1 equal parts compost, peat moss, vermiculite/perlite. That's what I'm trying out for first time this season as it promises to hold moisture and keep the soil soft and nutrient dense for those roots. I definitely needed this class on watering. Thank you sir!

You have no idea how helpful this video is, I've been looking for a detailed explanation on watering for so long. Thank you thank you thank you!!

Perfect timing! My neighbors have asked me to attend to their raised beds (veggies) while they vacation. THIS helps tremendously! Thank you!

Over watering and under watering are best prevented by soil with a high percentage of organic matter to hold water and a high percentage of sand to allow good drainage. Easiest method is planting in raised bed with a good sized reservoir then you just water until the reservoir is full.

I’m a master gardener who was surprised to learn that a drip hose and a soaker hose are not the same!! Obviously, I’ve been watering by hand for many years. Thank you for your clear, short informational messages.

I love watching you. I am a brand new gardener and I love how you talk about what seems complicated for me. Thanks for being such a good teacher and showing clear examples. ❤️

A 16-minute video on watering plants? KZfaq, you're spoiling me!

This is my second season gardening and I am learning so much from your channel. I am also glad that you explain in a newbie way, meaning that you break down the meanings and gardening lingo. Feel more confident on taking care of my garden.

Between you and Mark from self sufficient, I've learned so much. Best two channels on KZfaq. Thank you.

Im entry level 0. Thank you for having the first video that i could pay attention to and not get super bored.

For newbie gardeners like me, this is a great video. Thank you!

Ive been overwatering, i watered every 3-4 days and my acer is dying from it so yeah, dont be scared of the soil looking a bit dry :). Awesome info btw and i love your channel.

Thanks for all the suggestions on when to water. I live and grow in the heat of the Arizona desert in Phoenix. I found that watering early in the AM so the water on the leaves will dry BEFORE the sun hits them, is so much better for my plants. I water heavy every other day. My garden is still growing tomatoes and peppers. It's mid June already, and this is the latest I have ever had tomatoes! SO! I guess I finally found the right amount of water! Happy growing!

You did a pretty good job in explaining the do’s and donts in watering plants. Thank you.

Okay. It's 23:19 here in The Netherlands, but i just had to get down the stairs and into the back yard in my pyjamas to reprogram the dripping system...for real. No watering anymore at 20:00 hrs...tomorrow morning it starts at 07:00. Thanks!!!

You can see all the TLC you've put into your garden. Inspiring! Very informative videos! I'm a beginner, trying to earn my green thumb.

I love your channel - My dad gave me my own patch in the garden at the age of 8 and I have been hooked ever since - I would say I am a good gardener these days at the age of nearly 50 however I love learning tips from others - always something to learn . . . Thanks

I’m at Home Depot now awaiting clearance to enter and realize I need a quick connect. This will make life much easier for hand watering. Fantastic video!

if you live in areas with lots of direct intense sunlight, waterdrops on the leaves are like a magnifying glass. many sensitive plants get their leaves burned...

So useful! My mom is a huge gardener and I can say I have heard her mention all of these once or twice when I'd help her with the garden. Always nice to share info! love your channel so much.

I made self watering planters out of storage bins and plastic bottles/cans. They are amazing. My veggies always look healthy so far and I only need to water every 1-2 weeks!

I feel like I'd be secretly glancing over at your yard if I was your neighbor. My neighbor told me today "I can't help but look at your garden, you set the bar really high every year," but I never see him looking so I'm guessing he secretly looks. XD I secretly look at their yard too because their yard looks nice, I just don't want to make it obvious that I'm staring at their backyard from behind my peas.

I'm watching this as my dad waters the garden mid-day lol I'm glad I found this KZfaq channel

You are very smart, educated and ALSO a good educator. You do not waste words, you do not woffle. Here in south west UK it is a little hard to translate from San Diego. None the less I enjoy and appre c iate your very targetted input

Excellent video and very timely for me. I've just added a split connector to my hose and put a drip hose in, but it's just spraying the water everywhere, I think the soaker hose would be much better.

I wish I have known all of these back then. I remember overwatering my grandpa's plants in his yard. Tomatoes, chilis, flowers. And the next day, they withered. Ohh had to rush back home after that 😅😅😅

Enjoyed watching the video ,all the aspects covered very well .Well explained

In the UK I have never come across screw-fixing hoses. We use a push-fit system i believe was invented by Hozelock, and is used by most other hose suppliers. With the appropriate fittings, I can instantly remove a spray head and the water flow will shutoff, I can then just push-in another attachment and the water is available again. Quick, fairly cheap (especially if you buy generic brands), and easy to use. Even with the tap still on, if you have a connector that automatically stops the flow when no attachments are attached. Good video, sound advise !

I have 3 raised gardens, as I have limited space here in town. In addition to that, I've been collecting tea and coffee grounds and rain water for over 4 years. One thing I've found is that raised garden dry out faster than ground-level gardens. This is especially true after this many years of working coffee grounds into the soil. Worms don't feed on the grounds, but feed on the mold that grows on the coffee grounds. Aside from that, the decomposed coffee grounds loosen up the soil which is great. But mine may be a bit too loose, as it dries out rather quickly. As hot and dry as it is in Missouri, I must water each morning and each evening. After my morning watering, my soil is as dry as a bone by evening. Concerning spraying water on top of the plants, where does rain water fall, other than on top of the plants? My system is rather primitive as I use 1 gallon plastic jugs to water my plants. I mulch my plants with leaves and grass clippings, saw dust or wood chips, if available. This begs the question as is it even practical to raise a garden of corn, peas and beans when they are cheaply available from your grocery store? I've decided to move my strawberry plants to my gardens, and not waste time and energy on vegies.

This is excellent information, thank-you. Some things I've been doing correctly and others, well, not so much. Very early in the morning with a cup of tea works for me. Cheers from Nova Scotia.

When I think of tomatoes, I remember that the best, most productive years were the very dry ones. Dry and hot, but not above 90. I do not ramp up the watering when the plants are fruiting. One of the key factors with tomatoes seems to be even watering. You can water them a lot or water them a little, but you have to be consistent. One trick that I have discovered is the way I cage them. I use welded wire cylinders that are about 2 or 3 feet in diameter. I find that I can plant 3 or 4 tomatoes around the outside of the cages, and I try to make the plants grow inside the cages. I throw some straw or old leaves inside the cages to about 6 inches, and this keeps the soil underneath moist. I rarely water the plants at all, except for in drought conditions. The roots grow under the moist mulch. Prune off low foliage to help prevent disease from splattering soil.

I’m currently in the process of growing my own Boysenberry plants 🌱 and I was told that they have to be watered only at least 3 times a week. They’re in pots on my porch and I water 💦 them on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with a watering can not with a hose. And so far they’ve grown and are very healthy, but I will transplanting in about a month to my backyard and I’ve got soil and fertilizer for it, so I appreciate your tips and I hope I’m still doing the right thing.

This is one the first of your videos i watched when i dedicated myself to my garden. It was a game changer in helping my plants thrive. Mahalo!

Great video with lots of practical advice. With seeds and new sprouts, I lay down enough water to keep the bed moist. After a little growth, I pull in the mulch and cut back a little on the watering, going from 2X a day to once in the morning. My experience with tomatoes is just the opposite of what you're advising. I've found that during the fruiting stage, the tomatoes easily split if they get a lot of water. Nothing I can do about the rain, but I tend hold back, watering once in the morning every other day.

Great tips! I learned something new about the seedlings!!!

I'm an Over-Watering Addict. Lol. Thank you for your video. Some things I KNEW but don't PRACTICE. Like actually putting my fingers into the soil to check it. Succulents are my main victims. Poor things are loved to death. I'm actually getting better now. Yesterday I took more time with each area and plant to see what, if anything, it needed. Turns out they're all just fine without my interference sometimes. Less work....you'd think I'd realize that on my own. Thanks again!

This is like month three of my first time gardening. You rock so much, thank you for the video lessons!! You just rock!

Thank you very much you are very good clear understanding and knowledgeable thank you for your efforts Are Much appreciated

Great video! Very informative and helpful. Thank you.

Explains a lot, I was doing half of these mistakes... My tomatoes were doing well, and than died, suddenly. Thank you :-)

I learned a lot. I’ve been gardening a long time but I’m still getting new hints for better vegetable production.

When was growing up after my dad mow the lawn he would take the mow grass and put in on top of the soil in our garden and I never knew what the purpose was until my dad explained it to me about locking moisture of the soil just like you said. I have been using the method all my life. It works.

A couple things… You should note HOW to use soaker hoses. There has to be low pressure going into the hose so there is even pressure throughout the hose that will provide even distribution. This is often / usually a tedious task to get right, particularly for longer hoses (it is hard to find anything shorter than 25 feet): the shorter the hose the easier it is to get it right, as in the 10-15' soaker hose in the video. If one turns on the water spigot at full power / blast, most of the water will “leak” out of the hose in the first 5-8 feet, leaving very little water “leaking” out at the end of the hose. The best soaker hoses are the ones that you appear to show in the video: looks like a tightly woven nylon shell. The water does not squirt out, but drips (should drip) as shown in the video). Hardware soaker hoses that look like chopped and re-glued rubber pieces are very hard to cause the water to distribute evenly over the entire length of the hose. Lately, some more expensive “Pro” soaker hoses advertise their extra thick walls so more pressure is needed to “push” water out, but I have not found they work any better or differently than “regular” porous rubber soaker hoses, in addition to being more than twice as expensive. Also, those flaky blue, pressure-reducing washers with small holes at the front end of these hoses are pretty useless from my experiences. However, my bigger issue with soaker hoses is water tends to do down without much lateral movement: thus better for deeper root plants _when_ the soaker hose is close to the plant’s base. When I planted my rows of plants about 8-10 inches apart with a soaker hose running in-between the planted rows, the seeds never received enough water, apparently, and sat un-germinated for over 3 weeks. When I switched to a broad sprinkler system, the seeds germinated within 4-6 days - as they should. And what is this: do not water from the top?? While that might seem rational - and it is preferred to water the soil, not necessarily the whole plant (plants _still_ adsorbs water via their leaves), soil top watering is not the natural rain method of watering: when it rains, the water falls on top of everything. Also, whole plant watering helps cool down the entire plant, particularly when the weather is hot. Finally, pine needles as mulch??? Well, maybe if one is mulching blueberry, raspberry, etc. plants: they prefer acidic soil. Pine needles will acidify the soil, which some plants (really) do not like. Why not use the obvious mulching material, and one the most throw away: lawn clippings? That works great for me and helps retard water evaporation a lot longer, particularly on hot days. And once you get the soaker hose, even water distribution issue resolved, putting grass clippings on top of the soaker hose will allow one to use less water, or certainly can extend the interval between watering. I will also add that plants with large leaves (squashes, cucumbers, etc. and corn) transpire more water than smaller leaves like carrots, peas, etc.-so this is another consideration on how much water to use to irrigate plants. Personally, I am pretty much giving up on soaker hoses for my garden, but they do work well / better around trees (using a big circle around the trunk, about half the diameter of the drown of the tree: where the tree roots are located below the ground). Wand watering is fine for smaller gardens; mine is about 30x40 feet. Sprinkling the whole garden a couple times a week wets the whole garden. And with grass clippings and dead weeds as mulch, I use less water (than without mulch). Also, a moist soil makes pulling weeds a check of a lot easier…

Been listening to your podcast for the last couple years. Just delved into the videos. You are a wealth of knowledge and I appreciate you taking the time to share the things you’ve learned

Perfect timing with the Ideal truck in the background.

Great video, your front yard looks amazing. I love watering in the morning :) It's just relaxing.

I am a complete newbie to gardening and I am especially nervous when it comes to seeds growing but your channel so far is very informative and helpful!.

Thanks so much sir very helpful God bless you

At 7:48 Your container there actually does have a drainage hole on the bottom, it's just plugged, no need to drill it. If you're concerned about possibly over-watering that particular container, pull out the plug before you fill the container and the water can drain out. That will solve your over-watering concerns. The larger container of the same style has two plugs on the bottom. I have several of those exact containers myself. I came up with a new watering system for my tomatoes this year. I've tried many things in the past and was not as happy as I could be with the results. First, I planted my tomatoes spaced farther apart than I have in the past in order to keep diseases from spreading through plant contact. My rows are about 5 feet apart and I have about 3 feet between each plant. Between each row I planted other plants, such as pepper plants. I created a bowl shape in the soil for each plant in order to capture water and drive it straight down into those specific areas. I then took an old hose with no end on it and ran it along the base of my plants on top of the soil, burying it as needed within the ridges of my bowls. I drilled a hole, about 3/16", in the hose next to each plant, facing up. Since the water then shoots out of the hose under pressure, I needed a way to control the spray, so I used plastic 16.9 oz Mr. Dew bottles to solve this. I cut one of the 'feet' off each of the bottles large enough for the hose to fit through. With no end on the hose I made the hole fit moderately tight around the hose, but even if it is a sloppy fit it will still work fine. I decided to place the hole I cut in the bottle up with relation to the ground, then cut slits along the opposite side of the bottles, which I planned to place directly on the ground. I then ran the hose through all the bottles, placing a bottle over each hole I cut in the hose. I then took and old spark plug and screwed it into the end of the hose, no leaks. Now I can water my tomatoes with ease, in just a few minutes a day. The soil between the plants can be as dry as as a desert, but all my plants are happy and putting out beautiful tomatoes. I also expanded this same operation to water my pepper plants and my cucumbers. All my plants are doing great, other than bug issues. This is a very simple, highly effective watering system I will use from now on. Thanks for the tips! Take care.

I would love if you could do more tips on watering from seedlings to full plans of different kinds. I feel pretty overwhelmed by the watering. I don't want to over water or underwater. Also how much sun to give. I started plants indoor... late in the season it seems. I am new to gardening. Trying to get a greener thumb!

I appreciate the detail explanation about the mistakes with watering.

Awesome information ! Wish I had found you years earlier, I would've killed less in my garden in Florida. Here there are 3 things that kill plants easiest: fungus, enormous insects and infernal heat 3 months a year..Tomatoes get sunburned, etc..I love your Videos, you have so much knowledge. Keep up the good work !

Thank you for this helpful video. I got my first plant ever. And I’m completely lost when it comes to watering or over watering.

Wonderful video! Thank you for the helpful tips! 🌱💚 Happy Planting!

Very practical and informative video. Good job. Thanks.

Thanks Kevin For All Your Educational Videos.

This really sums up the conversation I had today with some fellow gardeners.

When we first started, we over watered. We thought plants needed to be watered daily in this Texas weather. Now that we have a larger raised bed, we are going to use the automatic watering/fertilizer system. Thanks for sharing

Really great video, thanks. Just got my first tomato starter and only previously grown easy herbs. Love a nice coffee morning with my plants!

Really Nice o hear someone talk about this topic and explain the WHY. Thanks

The pots and trays usually have holes you use a screw driver to punch out. Thank you for your great information from experience.

I must say that regarding the time at which the plants should be watered, when you live somewhere with hot dry summers (Madrid in my case), it's better to do it at sundown because otherwise quick evaporation of the water inside the plant in the middle of the day can damage roots and leaves, fixable by making the moment in which the plant has the most water at night ( sorry if any wording mistakes)

omg thanks for all the great info and esp for making it clear to understand/remember.!

Thank you for your watering tips! It definitely helped me.

Great video! Maybe in temperate climates or in arid subtropical/tropical or mediterranean climates like California and Arizona fungus due to overhead watering is "slightly overblown", but not here in South Florida, eeeek! Watering late evening is a huge no-no, and overhead watering is a straight pathway to fungus overgrowth, especially in summer (our winter crops are regular summer crops in the rest of the country, and fungus in winter is much less damaging). Thanks for bringing it up. Also thank you for talking about mulch! it's a real life saver during the dry season.

Well articulated watering guide!! I've watered my garden in the evening for 5 years & have had great results! I like to under water when it's not scorching hot. I believe it helps the plants to grow a bigger root system. Then when they're fruiting ill water every day. :) Boogie brew compost tea is also a must!

I would be nice to see tips for us small space gardeners who don't have access to a faucet.

From Sacramento's cool moist nights to Idaho's dry cold nights nights and days. I feel like a 1sr time gardener. Almost list my house plants. I'm just now planting outside and don't have drip set up yet. So, more to learn for sure. Blessings and thank you

Thank you for the comprehensive information. As a newbie gardener, your video helps avoid so many pitfalls in the garden.

Great presentation, very useful. And I just realized how much I miss San Diego!

I've been watching some of your videos lately including this one because I plan to grow alot of things in the garden soon. I must say I sure am learning alot from your videos. In fact if i have started planting without watching your channel i´m sure i would have made alot of mistakes. Thank you so much for all of your wisdom and keep posting!

Great video! I like to use a dry chop stick instead of a finger to test the moisture in the soil. You can easily tell when you pull out the chop stick by feeling it. If the tip is dry, plant needs more water.

I have to do my gardening in containers. Last year, I set up double totes, as a bottom watering system. I may have just had beginners luck, but it worked AWESOME!!! I watered every morning till it leaked out the weap hole, then checked in the evening (mainly during the hotter periods) and added a little more. I hope to reproduce the exact same on a larger scale this year.

Such an important video. I was a bit disappointed that you didn't talk about the relationship between watering and blossom end rot.

Thank you. Very good info.

Finally, someone answered my question. I have learned so much from you. Thank you for your videos.

Great video, thank you 😊 🙏🏻👍🏽

I totally recognized the street! So cool you are in SD. Thank you for the tips. I look forward to learning more with your Chanel!

Excellent video. Very good speaking voice. It helped to hear about the results of over watering.

Omg I’m sold on the quick connect. Great idea

Love the photo bomb of the “ideal” driver. Thanks for all your helpful videos! I’m going to do raised beds this year. I guess I’ll have to do some fall crops at the rate I’m going.