Watering Options

[MOPanfisher]

Well it's summer again and aftwr last year being forced to dtay away from it, i am back into gardening and its time for me to drag out 6 or 8 various soaker hoses, sprinklere etc. in a misguided attempt to find one that is worth using.  After giving up on 3 soaker hoses, I finally fell back on the one device that always works, a stupid looking ceramic bull frog that spews out a conical mist from the top.  Doesn't do a large spot at a time though, and if windy it blows the mist everywhere but where I need it,  so when really dry it's a constant dance of moving the dang thing, with various aborted attempts to get other sprinklers to work.  I don't have raised beds, both main gardens are large enough that I work them with a tractor so fixed pvc piping is a lost cause.  The crops like corn, beans and Cantelouopes I usually make a ditch along he row and simply slowly flood the ditch, adding the occasional board with a V notch to dam up the water.  Does anybody know of a sprinkler system that is reliable, meaning that if I go out after a couple hours it hasn't hung up and flooded one area and left another high and dry, or should I keep using the frog.

[jdmidwest]

I drag a hose with a sprayer on it and a couple of beers down to the garden and water everything down once or twice a week depending on the need.  Or I use a rotating spray head to mass water and go on to do other things.

Some things don't like to be watered from above in the evenings.  You end up with mildew and fungus problems.  Best time to water is in the mornings.

Corn, okra, flowers, beans don't have fungus problems.  Cucumbers, squash, melons, tomatoes need to be watered at base or you will have fungus problems.