Jumping here in the middle, so maybe this has already been covered. I have a small garden in the backyard of a ½ acre lot, so gauge accordingly. I try to avoid watering from the tap as much as possible. Remember, they put chlorine in water to keep things from growing in it! (If you have a well, this doesn’t apply) If it’s a dry year, and watering is a must, draw the water a day ahead and let it sit in the sun to “cook off” the chlorine, etc the folks add to the drinking water. After using it, refill your containers for the next day.I had terrible weather this year, first 2 weeks of high winds then 2 weeks of flooding then 2 weeks at 90 to 100 F, I planted a lot but had to let it all go, my water bill doubled just on week one, my 30ft x 30ft garden is almost dead
One other observation; this type of watering will keep your garden alive, but does little to make it grow. The atmosphere above us is 78% nitrogen, and rainwater picks this up as it falls through. It literally rains miracle grow! Therefore, I collect rainwater in barrels and use this first as my watering source, and go to the tap as a last resort.