When we were kids our dad made us work in the garden every Saturday. We turned soil in the flower beds, pruned shrubs and hedges, and weeded. There was no lawn where we lived. Only flower beds, concrete and several grape vines that wandered their way along hundreds of square feet of wooden trellises nestled a story or so above us. It was hard work, and there was always plenty to do. Dad was rather strict, so there was no fooling around until everything was done.

For whatever reason, there were no sprinklers in our garden. And dad didn't want soaker hoses lying on his pristine landscape. We were given three lengths of garden hose and everything got watered by hand. After the flower beds were tilled and weeded, we washed down the concrete. Usually, there was enough runoff from that process to provide a super-drink for all the plants.

Today we both are avid gardeners and love fiddling around in the yard. Keeping things green is still a challenge that requires much attention. We have learned plenty since we were kids and watering techniques comprise a large part of our gardening tricks.

We would have loved to have had a full sprinkler system back then. Hand-watering took a lot of time. Today we both have major sprinkler systems to water everything. However, we also use other tools to do the job even more thoroughly...and cost effectively. And drip-irrigation and soaker hoses have a lot to do with how we save. Our vegetable and herb gardens change from season to season and year to year, so the irrigation has to be at least somewhat portable.

A soaker hose is great for ever-changing conditions that occur in most vegetable or herb gardens, and is easy to set up. And unlike drip-irrigation a soaker hose is less prone to clogging. Matter of fact, one season we hooked up a soaker hose to a timer-controlled valve and didn't have to do a bit of maintenance that entire year.

Soaker hoses can be handmade. Just punch holes at regular intervals in an old hose and slide perforated soda cans around each of the holes. The perforated cans prevent a high-pressure stream of water from occurring, and gently distribute the water. Soaker hoses should be placed under vegetation to prevent the sun's harmful rays from causing premature deterioration.

A soaker hose can be valuable for new plantings. A big problem with any new flower, shrub or tree is lack of water to the root system while the plant is acclimating to its new environment. This means frequent trips to the garden each day to make sure that the plant is getting the water it needs.

Flooding in the morning and again in the evening will also do it, but who wants to do that? A soaker hose works well here. It can be used to provide a constant drip to the root system without flooding...and it can save up to 70 percent of the water that would otherwise be used. Further, you don't have to be there to make it all happen. A trickle of water into a soaker hose at the base of the plant is all that it takes.

Beautiful plants start with a strong root system. A soaker hose sends a small constant trickle of water directly to the roots where it is needed. But plants cannot live on water alone; they need food, as well. Provide regular fertilization throughout your garden using a sensible watering program.

Brown leaves mean there's not enough (or too much) water. Yellow ones mean there's not enough nutrition, and that it's time to fertilize.

No matter where you live, there eventually will be a time when you will have to deal with a water shortage of some kind. When that happens, consult this article.