Watering...(How much/How Often)

[Pharmer Phil]

Daily light watering regularly:
Replenishes the water that growth and evaporation use up. This way, the soil's water "arteries" remain intact and reach deep into the ground.
Occasional deep watering:
Accomplishes the same goal by periodically drenching the soil thoroughly.

Choose whichever technique you prefer...just DON'T go with occasional light watering. Such half hearted efforts will keep only the top inch or two of soil moist . . . causing roots to grow only near the surface; where they can readily dry out! :4-thatsba

To make sure you're watering enough,get a trowel,or a spade, and after you've watered, dig down about a foot to see just how deep your added moisture is penetrating.
The first time or two you check, you probably will discover that you've been watering too shallowly. Many people make that mistake.
It can take three-quarters of an hour to fully water one 10' X 10' plot! An average garden needs about one inch of rain or irrigation per week . . . which figures out to about 62 gallons per 100 square feet. That much in one weekly watering, it should soak the ground to a depth of about one foot.

But...My Leaves are droopy... Plants often wilt some on a hot summer day as a way of shutting down their systems to conserve moisture. If you water at that time, you can shock the flowers and vegetables and cause more harm than good.
In fact; if you overhead-water on such occasions, the plants may actually lose moisture; the leaves will give up internal liquid and end up worse off.

Look for signs of wilting during morning and evening hours.
If the leaves are drooping then, it's almost a sure sign that your plants need water! One exception; Plants can also wilt if their roots are so wet, that they're flooded! A quick Dig-in-the-dirt will determine the true cause if you have any doubts.
Some plants, such as cabbage, onions, and garlic, don't show water stress as clearly as others.
On the other hand, peas, celery, spinach, and lettuce are very susceptible to drought conditions and will let you know They are Thirsty! Thumb

[squashnut]

What kind of watering system is the best? I have a couple of rain birds, These seem to be Ok till the garden really gets going then the over head watering starts to cause problems with mold. I cann't see not washing down the plants once in a while though, as the leaves look dirty. Could block out the sun.
My grand father watered every thing with a rain bird. But his rows were 3 to 6 foot on center. big difference from our raised bed intensive gardens. He also used what was known as a dust mulch. Purposely working the top of the soil so it would dry out and hold in moisture.
I was kind of interested in the idea of putting the pots into the ground around cukes, squash and tomatoes. Nor sure what size the pots should be, but this year I am going to have to work out some thing, as there is just no rain here.
I told my husband this morning the next time it rains I am going to water during the rain. That way the rain and the sprinkler will soak the soil deeper, rather than just teasing the plants. Of course that depends on how much it rains.

[Pharmer Phil]

Concerning water conservation, the best you could do would be a drip irrigation system, with emitters, placed at each plant, along each row, coupled with a good mulch, where I moved from we would have perods where the earth cracked open enough to stick your hands into the cracks, I had NO water shortage, yet kept my watering to a minimum, the un-mulched ground being dry, very dry, while the mulched areas had a good amount of moisture in the root zones. I have seen pop bottles, milk jugs, etc. buried near plants...but have not used these So I am unable to give you any results...I suppose there is someone here tho that has tried this and will comment. Thumb