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It’s that wonderful time of year when we all get excited about planting. Visits to the garden center give us lots of ideas about gardening and landscaping, and we can hardly wait to get home and put those new plants in the ground.

To keep those new plants thriving, it’s important to water them correctly. Here are a few tips.

For annual flowers and vegetables grown in six-packs or small pots, water them thoroughly before transplanting into the garden. Once planted, water deeply. Really soak the soil — a light spray from the hose won’t do it. If your weather is dry, water daily for the first week to help the plants get over transplant shock and start growing. Mulch around the plants to retain moisture. Then, check your soil — if it’s dry 1-2 inches down, it’s time to water.

A basic rule of thumb is that an established vegetable garden needs an inch of moisture (rain or supplemented water) per week. Use a rain gauge to determine how much water you need to supplement. An inch of water on a 10-foot by 10-foot garden area is 62 gallons.

As a comparison, a 10-minute shower uses about 25 gallons. If your garden needs water, go ahead and water it today, even if the weather forecast calls for rain tomorrow. The sandier your soil, the more often you will need to water your plants.

Adequate water is necessary for plants to use nutrients in the soil to allow them to thrive and produce flowers and fruits. See the following article from UMN Extension for more information,

Perennial plants need regular, deep watering for the first week, too. After that, you can start cutting back to every other day and then to once a week. Remember to water deeply — this is important for the roots to grow down to stabilize the plant and reach nutrients in the soil, as well as to access water. A plant with shallow roots will be less healthy.

Newly planted trees and shrubs also need regular watering until they get established. As a guide, water daily for the first 1-2 weeks, then every 2-3 days for the next several months, then weekly after that. Trees and shrubs can take up to two years to fully establish.

Again, remember to water deeply to encourage strong root development. The following article has lots of good information about watering new trees and shrubs,

Harvesting rainwater can be beneficial to the environment, your water bill, and your plants. But remember to only use harvested rainwater on plants not intended for food, as it may contain heavy metals and chemicals from roofing material that are taken up into the plant and are hazardous to our health if consumed. For more information about harvesting rainwater, see the following article:

These are a few tips for ensuring your gardens will be successful. Enjoy all those beautiful new plants — happy summer gardening!

These local garden articles will reach you each week throughout the gardening season, but gardening information can be found year-round by clicking on "Yard and Garden" at the University of Minnesota Extension website, or by visiting our Facebook page at

Local Master Gardeners will respond to questions via voicemail. Call (218) 444-7916, and leave your name, number and question.