Garden Watering Schedule Calculator

Calculate weekly watering needs for your garden based on area, plant type, and local rainfall.

sq ft
inches
inches

Weekly Watering Needed

125 gallons

Irrigation Deficit1.00 inches
Sprinkler Time (at 1 GPM)125 minutes

Weekly Watering Needed vs Garden Area

Garden Watering Needs

Most gardens need 1-1.5 inches of water per week from irrigation and rainfall combined. The deficit must be made up with supplemental watering.

Formula

Deficit (inches) = Weekly Need - Rainfall

Gallons = Deficit (inches) x Area (sq ft) x 0.623

The factor 0.623 converts inches of water over square feet to gallons (1 inch over 1 sq ft = 0.623 gallons). Water deeply and less frequently to encourage deep root growth.

Example Calculation

A 200 sq ft garden needing 1.5 inches/week with 0.5 inches of rain.

  1. 01Deficit = 1.5 - 0.5 = 1.0 inch
  2. 02Gallons = 1.0 x 200 x 0.623 = 124.6 gallons per week
  3. 03At 1 GPM sprinkler: about 125 minutes of watering

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