A small and compact, easy-to-use soil moisture management device is disclosed that is economical to produce, efficient to use, has a scientific measurement system and is easy for the user to read the moisture needs of a plant in a hanging container. The device includes a housing that is attached at one end to hardware for supporting the device and a hanging basket that contains a plant in soil and moisture in varying amounts in the soil. The device also includes a moving member that is biased by a spring against the gravitational pull on the hanging basket, plant, soil and moisture. The spring and a portion of the moving member is contained in the housing. The moving member also contains visual indicators of the position of the moving member against the bias provided by the spring to indicate the amount of moisture in the soil. In the method, an eyebolt that supports the hanging basket, soil, plant and moisture is capable of moving against a bias against the gravitational pull on the hanging basket, soil, plant and variable amount of moisture and, by the movement of the eyebolt, visually indicating the position of the eyebolt against the bias so that a first amount of moisture in the soil produces a first position of the eyebolt and a second amount of moisture produces a second position of the eyebolt.