When preparing a new garden bed, make it easier for water to reach plant roots every time they are watered or rained upon.

As you turn over the soil and mix in compst, lay out a length of slotted pipe under the soil. Slotted pipe is a sturdy but flexible pipe with small slots or holes along its length.

One end of the pipe needs to angle up and sit about 10 cm above the soil surface when the bed is finished. Each time it rains or you water the garden, water will go into the pipe.

By burying the pipe under the soil, any water in the pipe will seep into the soil around the roots of your plants. This encoruages roots to grow down which makes for stronger plants.

It also means that water is not on the hot surface which means less will eveaporate and be lost.

Of course, you can also do this in old garden beds when you are working on them but it is easiest to add the pipe when there are no plants to manoever around.