Notes kept while working a small plot. Updated when something is worth writing down.
Most of what follows is the sort of thing you learn twice because you did not write it down the first time. It is kept here mainly so it can be looked up from a phone while standing in the mud.
The useful measure is not how often but how deep. Push a finger in to the second knuckle. If it comes out dry, water long and slowly; if it comes out cool and dark, leave it another day. Frequent shallow watering keeps roots near the surface, which is exactly where the soil dries out first.
An inch of water a week, delivered in one or two soakings, suits most things in ordinary loam. Sandy ground wants the same total split into more visits. Heavy clay wants less, given more slowly, or it runs off before it sinks.
A straight-sided jar on a fence post does the job. What matters is placing it clear of eaves, walls and overhanging branches, all of which either shelter it or funnel extra into it. Empty it after every reading, or evaporation quietly lies to you within two warm days.
Clear, still nights are the dangerous ones. Cloud holds heat in and wind mixes the air, so a windy overcast night at the same forecast temperature is usually safe. Cold air pools downhill, which is why the bottom of a slope catches frost that the top of the same garden never sees.
Covering works by trapping ground heat, so a cover has to reach the soil to do anything. Draped over foliage alone it is close to useless, and where it touches leaves it can make the damage worse.
Gravel in the bottom of a pot does not improve drainage. It raises the saturated zone rather than lowering it, so the roots sit wetter than they would in plain soil to the base.
Sealing a pruning cut does not help either. Wounds close faster left open, and sealant tends to hold moisture against the exposed wood.