Need Help on Watering my Garden

[sas_mk]

Ok... so I am attempting my very first vegetable garden. I am hope that a little sweat equity will cut down on some of my produce purchases at the grocery store!

I have an area that is 3' x 40' that I have prepared and planted. I tilled a couple of inches of manure (gross) in the soil, added some store bought fertilizer and planted a bunch of different seeds and starts (tomatoes, peppers, squash, carrots, radishes, cucumbers, peas, pumpkins, strawberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, etc.)

Now, the real question. How do I make sure I am watering enough -- not too much or too little? I do not have a drip hose or sprinkler system in this area, so I will be watering it each day with my hose.

Do I just water every day until the soil is damp? Do I water multiple times a day? Do I flood the area?

I would hate to ruin my first garden by getting the water situation wrong, so does anybody out there have any guidance for me??

 

[deerhart]

water until damp in the late evening.

Do not water in the morning or during the day because the water will enhance the suns rays and hurt the plants

 

[daisyduck123]

subscribing....this spring is my very first attempt at a veggie garden as well.

 

[buzz5985]

It would be best if you found this information from your County Extension service or if you have a Master Gardener Association in your area - they have a great deal of experience and advice to give. What works in the Northeast does not work in the Southeast.

 

[pl71]

I'd recommend you lay a soaker hose throughout the garden and attach your regular hose to it to water. You can cover it with mulch if you want. You can also get some quick connect hose fittings to make it very easy to attach the hose. Then just turn on the water and let it sit for about 30 minutes. If you use a soaker hose you can water any time of day, but early in the day is better so that you don't have a wet surface that slugs like when it gets dark.

How often to water depends on heat, soil type, type of plant, and humidity. You'll need to water more in the peak of summer then now. Tomatoes need less water, melons need lots of water. At the most you'll need to water every other day, and every 3-4 days may be fine as long as you water deeply. If your plants are wilting they need more water. Dig down a few inches to see if the soil is dry, if it is then you can water again.

 

[swilshire]

My husband has been watering ours morning and evening, which seems like too much but the garden looks great. You definitely don't want to under water. We left my oldest son in charge one summer while we were on vacation and he didn't water enough. The garden yielded almost nothing that year.

Sheila

 

[sas_mk]

Thank you so much for all of the helpful answers! The DIS is such a great place.

I really want to learn how to garden. I am just hoping that I don't mess it up too much this year. Your answers have really helped.

I did find some excellent resources online from a local university in our area. It gave me some great tips that I have added to all of your great tips.

Thanks again -- and wish me luck!!

 

[bcvdreamer]

We bought a rain barrel this year and hooked it up a soaker hose that's in our garden...so far so good.

It hooks up to the downspout and when the barrel is full the overflow goes back in the downspout. We just have to flip the switch on the rain barrel and turn it off when we're done. I'm loving it.

 

[pperfectmom]

How much to water totally depends on where you live. I would never water every day and I am a country girl that has always had a garden. Now if I set out plants I will but only for a couple of days and then will water every 2-3 days. I live in Kentucky though, so you may not get the same kind of weather we do. You can tell if your plants need water or not if they start to get droopy. They won't just all of a sudden die on you. If they do, it's probably not lack of water that killed them.