My favorite garden gadget… the trusty moisture meter.

I have three… one for the front yard, one for the back yard & one for the veggie garden.  There is no automatic sprinkler on my property & water is precious so before I ever reach for my watering can, I check the soil.

The good news about our blackland is that it’s predominantly clay & clay soil will hold on to moisture for a long time.  Most of us stick our finger in the soil to check for dryness but where are those roots?? Unless you have an eight-inch finger, you are not going to find any moisture!  Remember in your landscaped beds, the first three inches should be mulch & the next six inches will be where the roots of your plants are. Roots can go even deeper for a lot of our super smart native plants.

For veggie gardens, we usually like to let the first 2 inches dry out before we water those established plants. You may also add a little mulch to the top of the soil. You can use straw, crushed leaves & even a little compost. Usually this layer is pretty thin. So your moisture meter will only go down 2-3 inches.

The moisture meter is great for potted plants as well. Sometimes we love too much & often our potted plants may be getting too much water. The moisture meter will amaze you. Also, don’t forget to use a little mulch to top dress those potted plants.

Lastly, these meters don’t require batteries. There are no fancy electronics. It works as soon as you place it in the ground. You can find them at nurseries & some of the box stores. Happy gardening!

Nothing makes me more happy than filling my red wheelbarrow with lovely native hardwood mulch. Call me crazy but it smells like a hike in the woods & makes the garden complete. This photo is from last year as this year my neighbor had a tree cut down & they offered their ground up tree to me. My favorite - free mulch!!

Here's the scoop:The very best way to help save money on replacing plants & reducing water consumption is to mulch. Mulch will help seal in the moisture that is already in your soil & keep your plant's roots cooler in the summer.   

The rule is to have at least 3" of mulch in your beds. Native hardwood mulch is the best for our beneficial microbes, bacteria, fungi & wiggly worms. As these critters eat the mulch, this not only aerates your soil but also fertilizes the soil. Mulch turns into compost, so as long as you are mulching in the spring & fall, you continuously improve your soil which is the key to a healthy landscape.

If you are using drought tolerant plants & they are at least one year old, they will need minimal watering this summer. Happy Mulching!