You would have thought watering vegetables was the easy bit

Think you can't go wrong watering vegetables - want to know why the fact it is so easy is just the problem?

Whether you use a watering can or a hose pipe, anyone can water well ... it is a cinch right?......right?

WRONG!

Unfortunately, splashing water everywhere is not necessarily helping you or your vegetables even if you are applying enough water.

The problems of watering

Did you know that 1mm of rain is 1 litre (L) of water spread across 1 square metre;

• that's 100L on a 10 x 10m plot or
• 250L on a full sized allotment
• but 1mm rain is just a shower!

Actually useful rain is a regular 4mm fall, at say 50mm a month, that's ... 13mm a week;

• 1300L on that 10 x 10m plot or
• a staggering 3250 litres on the allotment each week

With two 4.5L (1 gallon) watering cans that equates to;

• 144 cans on that 10 x 10m plot or
• a staggering 361 cans on the allotment each week

With a hose sprinkler flow of 10L/minute, that equates to watering for;

• 130 minutes (2.2 hours) on that 10 x 10m plot or
• a staggering 325 minutes (5.4 hours) on the allotment each week

Bet you don't manage that! ... I won't...

With global warming, with increasing scarity of our precious water resource, we should all think again. Not only that it is just a waste of water and time.

2. Watering the whole plot encourages prolific weed growth

3. Watering the whole plant increases disease

4. Watering in the day wastes water as most rapidly evaporates

So what can you do?

My top tips are for watering vegetables are;

• save water by using mulches or weed membrane
• boost storage: add good compost to the soil
• plant sufficiently early to develop a good root system
• let the roots follow the water down
• water in the evening
• only water what needs it
• point water
• water the soil around the stem - not the leaves
• water well, but less often
• grow what best suits your climate

For more information;

From watering vegetables to more on growing vegetables

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