Two Keys To Watering


Your newly planted vegetable varieties will grow in most any sort of soil, and they can even manage to grow and produce (although not to their fullest potential) on whatever nutrients they find in the ground. But without water, they'll die. Period. So one of the key things when planning your edible garden is to make sure you have a good supply of water close at hand.

Ideally you'll have a hose bib (or outdoor faucet) within a few steps to hook up a hose, sprinkler or hand-water with a watering can, at least once a week. How often and how much? Most experienced gardeners aim for 1 inch of water per week. That is sometimes hard to measure.

Two Keys to Watering:

  1. Water the roots, not the foliage. It's really tempting to wet down plants with a "shower", but moist foliage offers little benefit to the plant.

  2. Water in the morning. An earlier watering schedule will ensure a plant's root zone has plenty of moisture for the heat of the day. Plants watered in the evening might stay moist overnight and lead to disease.

- Burpee Home Garden

TIP:A good rule of thumb is to water your entire garden thoroughly about once a week, letting it get just a little bit dry between waterings. During rainy times you might not have to water for several weeks.