How often do you water?

[bnew17]

I'm gonna have a much bigger garden this year and in a new spot. The spot is in Full sun all day and down here in Ga it gets HOT. Ive been reading around and alot of people in my area say they aim to get about 1" in their garden a week...does that sound about right?

and how often should I water? every day? every other day?

[hardland]

I've been wondering about the whole watering thing myself. I don't want to water too much or too little. I guess you should start on the conservative side and go from there. You can always water more the next day, you can't take it back!
I'm curious about the 1 inch reference also. I have read 1 inch per day for containers. If my containers are 20" round, ( approx 240 Sq inches ) how much water do they need? That would equate to 1 gallon of water per day for each container, that seems to much, so I'm going with 1/2 a gallon.. See what happens

[rainbowgardener]

As much as they need! Sorry, but there's no simple answer to that. You didn't say what you are growing. Tomatoes and watermelon, for e.g, need way more water than salvia and lavender. And it depends on if your soil is clay (holds water) or sand (doesn't hold water), etc.

But you tell if you are watering enough or too much or not enough by monitoring your soil and your plants. If you stick a finger a few inches down into the soil and it is dry all the way down and your plants are beginning to wilt a little, but they perk right up when you water them, you need to water a little more often.

If the soil is wet a few inches down, especially a day or two after you watered and the plants are turning a little yellowy and wilting and get worse if you water, it's too much.

But in your hot climate MULCH IS YOUR FRIEND!! Once everything is (trans)planted and sprouted and a few inches high, lay down a good layer of mulch -- could be hay or straw or grass clippings or leaves or woodchips or sawdust or shredded paper or newspaper or cardboard or whatever organic you have around. It will hold in the moisture, keep the soil much more cool and damp and make a big difference to helping your plants survive your climate. (course then to test your soil moisture you have to go under the mulch)

[cynthia_h]

There are no hard-and-fast rules. Here's one short discussion; I know there's a longer, more thoughtful one around here but have an appointment--gotta run.

Maybe this will trigger someone's memory to do a good Search...

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=116385

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[Ozark Lady]

Try this, when your plants look a bit wilted, use an old umbrella, give them shade and time how long it takes to unwilt.

If they un wilt in 10 minutes, they are good to go. If they take over an hour, they are thirsty.

Works for me in my hot climate. Then I just time how long I water them, and if the next day they are thirsty again, I know to double that time, until I can make it 2-3 days without watering.

Mulch is one of the best things you can do for your plants.

[jal_ut]

How often to water? Good question, but there is no one good answer. It depends on a lot of factors. The soil, weather, relative humidity, tempreature, wind, and the crop, all have a bearing on the problem. Each plot will have its own needs. Get one of those moisture meters and use it to learn what works best under youir circumstances.

I water my garden every 7 to 10 days, (depending on the weather) and give it a good deep watering. About 1.5 inches over the area. This is dry Utah, and you don't grow vegetable crops at all without irrigation. I believe it is best to deep water then wait a few days to water again. In this way the plants send roots deep looking for water and will handle drought stress better.

If you are gardening in beds or containers you have different problems. That is why I suggested the meter. Have a great garden!

[bnew17]

I'm planting 4 types of peas, butter beans, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, peppers, watermelong, canteloupe, honeydew, corn, okra.