How to Water Vegetables

Most vegetables need about an inch of water (about 62 gallons per 100 square feet) per week to survive. In most years, in most places, rain alone won't supply enough.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Compost
• Compost Bins
• Compost Makers
• Drip Irrigation Systems
• Garden Hoses
• Garden Rakes
• Hoes
• Mulch
• Rain Gauges
• Shovels
• Compost
• Shovels

1. Pull back any mulch, dig down 4 or 5 inches, scoop up a handful of soil and squeeze it. If the soil holds together, it's moist enough; if it crumbles in your hand, you need to water. Very sandy soil never forms a ball. If it feels gritty and sticks to your fingers, it's moist; if the particles flow through your fingers, the soil is too dry.

2. Cultivate before you water to loosen the soil; otherwise, the water will cause a crust to form on the soil's surface, preventing both water and air from reaching the roots.

3. Water in the morning. Avoid watering during the heat of the day, when a lot of water will be lost to evaporation, or in the late afternoon or evening; water that remains on stems or foliage overnight encourages fungus disease.

4. Apply water slowly and uniformly to a depth of 5 to 6 inches; you'll encourage deep roots that can seek out water at different levels in the soil. Adapt your technique to the particular needs of vegetables - flood the furrows if you grow in rows; sink a reservoir made of a perforated pipe or coffee can next to melons and squash; and locate sprinklers close to the ground for less evaporation around large leaves.

5. Install a drip irrigation system for maximum watering efficiency and ease. This will deliver water to individual plants, not to your driveway or the weeds growing in the garden path. A large nursery can supply and install the system for you. It's not cheap, but it can cut your water costs in half.

6. Accomplish similar results at a lower cost with a drip soaker: either a hose with holes punched in it or a porous hose that oozes water along its length. You simply lay the hose in place so that it reaches the base of each plant.

Tips & Warnings

• Amend your soil with organic matter to improve the way it handles water.
• Use mulch to conserve moisture.
• Some vegetables need more water than others. Heavy drinkers include celery, artichokes and asparagus. Beets, tomatoes and peppers are modest imbibers. Many herbs, including marjoram, oregano, thyme and garlic, need very little liquid sustenance. In fact, they'll taste best if you hold off watering until they look ready to wilt.
• Too much water will cause as much damage as too little: it will drown plant roots and wash away nutrients.

[Targeteer27]

on 4/10/2008 Great information. I would also recommend a drip system but it doesn't have to be professionally installed. Many places now sell kits which includes all the parts you need to set up a nice system along with the directions on how to do it.