I'm not getting caught in a row between husband & wife. All I will say is that if it has been raining a lot then I don't water our pots and containers.

As a general rule plants in a container act like an umbrella meaning surplus rain water falls off the edges, meaning most of the rainfall does not go into the container!

However! If it rains long enough sufficient water will eventually filter through the plant into the container.

There now! I have answered your question without taking sides ; o ))

A normal shower of rain does nothing for pots and hanging baskets. They normally need watering every day.

IN summer, when the plants are in full foliage and flower, they need watering daily if they aren't large pots or are baskets/wall troughs. Rain or no rain. If it stays very cool and damp for days on end, they might only need water every other day - except for baskets, which should be done daily from about June onwards.
Next time he says it, water him instead;-)))
But I notice you say 'the garden'. Now that's a different matter -no, the garden does not need watering daily. If your plants are permanent, the worst thing you can do is water little and often - a lot and once every week for new plantings, much less often for older plants, though the same rule applies - when you do water, water well and thoroughly. If you have bedding planted in the ground, that probably will need watering every few days if there's no rain.

thanks to you all for your answeres hes off the hook

Ha ha, cos you're both part right, aren't you. But it is irritating, my husband used to say exactly the same thing about pots, drove me bonkers...

I'm not worried about coming between husband and wife - go on and soak him - its a lovely warm evening!!

If containers are near buildings/walls and rain is angled then very little water reaches the compost.I work on containerised plants requiring one quarter of an inch daily.Try measuring the temperature in container media as against the soil to understand the adversity we expect plants to overcome on our behalf!The simplest means to assess need is to learn to 'weigh' the basket by gently lifting it.

I solved this very issue in our household. The garden is split into two, and so are the pots. He has things in pots and tyres. I have a few pots about. My plants look healthy. His don't. But they are his and if it's rained, 'well they are watered'. I can't even be bothered to point out the reasons why his pots normally fail.

LOL, 2ndhand! I admire your restraint enormously, not sure I could manage it. I often wonder if many men feel about this subject the way they do about asking for directions...

Probably............. but then mine wouldn't ask for directions under any circumstances, he certainly doesn't ask when he moans about his pots and window boxes flagging. He just moans about the pathetic plants he bought that were obviously doomed. I have given up pointing out they were doomed as soon as he picked them up. But then that's why the plot is split into two, his 3 acres and my 2. He has a field of 'Indiginous' species, I know he has a field of weeds. :-) And I have accepted we garden differently. He's never allowed to do owt in mine. Except build wooden structures of my design...

Oh lord, I know this situation well - one of my remaining clients (had them for years and years) has a husband who 'grows veggies and does a bit of planting'. What that means is he shoves plants into a pile of compost dumped on the borders, grows healthy weeds, never asks advice, never digs and asks us all to admire the one marigold growing in a sea of germinated bird seed he's left on the ground. His wife finally lost it last year and two areas at the top were designated 'his' areas, and the other two thirds designated 'hers', meaning mine really, because she never does any gardening. It's made life a bit more manageable for me though, lol - but I'm still required to admire (effusively I might add) the sweet peas growing in between the bindweed he's ignoring.

Oh i now what you mean. I once had a customer, who incidentally was married to a landscape designer. She wanted all flowers removed from her borders as she didn't like the colour. But could I leave the yellow ones. I promptly did as I was asked. Her OM just shrugged and said do it. (I was only in his employment for 3 weeks) Anyway I duly dug out all plants, and left the buttercups! :0)

Her OM obviously liked a quiet life! Sweet revenge, leaving the buttercups though, lol
When I got to that garden yesterday, the 'sweetpeas' he told me he'd planted up the new plum tree (dear lord) turn out to be runner beans. You now can't see the new tree at all. I've warned his wife it's not good for the tree, but otherwise, I'm ignoring it, not my problem, they bought the tree...