Hi, 

What plants are you watering? Are they in the ground or container or raised beds? Large trees or shrubs will be different from vegetables or annual potted plants. 

Most of the time you should just water to make sure the entire root mass is receiving water. If it rains and only rains for a short period then the water will not penetrate through the soil to reach all the roots. This can cause your plants to develop a thick upper rootsystem that won't grow deeply into the ground or container and cause the plant to wilt or lose water more quickly. 

Always feel the soil a few inches down to see if it is still wet before watering.

For larger trees and shrubs usually checking about once a week is good. If it has rained sufficiently for multiple days in a row, they probably don't need water. Using a hose set on a low setting or at a trickle and placing it at the bottom of the plant to soak slowly into the ground for about 30 minutes one a week or every 10-14 days. This is a good way to make sure trees and shrubs receive enough water by the water saturating the entire root area, but have time to dry out in between. 

A container plant on a patio or deck, especially if they receive at least a few hours of sun a day will dry out much faster so you may need to water almost daily in the heat of the summer. 

Having a timer set on a vegetable garden is a good way to make sure your veggies receive consistent watering even if it is raining. You may need test how often and how long depending on your system to see what is enough for the plants you have. 

You can reference our Watering Trees and Shrubs and Care of Annual and Perennials, and Drip Irrigation information pages for more guidance.

Let us know if you have further questions. 

Emily