PLEASE help me properly water my veggies!! - Page 2

[dillonandmarasmom]

Not sure about a sprinkler, but if you have a soaker or drip hose, I was told to let it go for 3 hours at a time every 3 days. So far, that has been more than ample for the established plants, and we've seen some very good growth. It was also enough for our second round of corn seeds to sprout and grow to 3 inches in the first week of planting!

My grandmother also told me long ago that veggie gardens would rather have lots of water all at once than sips here and there.

[mamadelbosque]

That sounds like plenty to me... I just waterd my broccoli (2 beds), brussel sprouts (1 bed), peas (1 bed) beans (2ish beds broken up into 3 different sections), cucumbers (4' of plants on trellises), zucchini (2), watermelon, pumpkins & butternut squash... basicly everything except my tomatoes & peppers, and used 5 big cans. But thats doing it pretty lightly so that everything gets some. My broccoli get 1-2 cans per bed, brussel sprouts 1, beans 1 per bed, and then all the squash/cukes/zukes get about a can split between them... peas just get whatevers left over from numerous cans, so maybe 1/2 a can total. When I water my peppers (I have 4 beds), I use 2.5 ish cans, tomatoes (66 plants), probably get 3-4ish....

But, you have to keep in mind, that in many ways I would really, really, really like to water more. I just can't. We have very limited water - seriously if nobody has done dishes, taken a shower, etc within the past couple hours I can count on 7-9 full watering cans... so I have to pick and choose what gets water and what doesn't.

[katie9143]

ok so you guys were all so right!! we were gone from noon on fri til about an hr ago and the plants look GREAT. one of the wiltiest caulis even has some vegetable in it now growing!! the leaves that were wilting were totally yellow and laying on the ground so i took them off and then turned on the sprinker for about a half hr since it was dusk. everything looks like it grew so much in the last 2 days, even the strawberries in the front are almost red and the herbs are out of control!! even my babies in the winter squash patch are now all up and thriving. the only think that looked a bit fried was my one "stick" that is a raspberry bush that actually had green leaves/shoots - does raspberry need more water or shade than other plants does anyone know?

from now on i am strictly an every other day waterer (unless it rains and i will skip it).

thanks so much!