Watering regime during the summer

[Alice Johnson]

Hi everyone. What is your watering regime and technique during the summer months? How do you keep your vegetables healthy?

[bikermike]

regime: when I can.
I have an auto system for the greenhouse that I tend to run for an hour or two per day.

measures: for stuff in the ground: Lots of mulching
deeper saucers for pots

rain dances every third week.

[Penellype]

I use self watering trays (water trays with a built in shelf with capillary matting on) for some plants, and quadgrow-type self watering pots for others. The remaining plants are mostly either in 30 litre buckets or in the ground.

The water reservoirs are kept topped up - the time between doing this varies greatly depending on the type of plant and the weather. The buckets and any other containers I have are watered every evening unless we have had heavy rain. The plants in the ground are mulched, but are watered if everything starts to get dry, the exception being peas which are watered every evening with the pots.

Some of my strawberries and flowers are hung on fences. These have water-retaining gel slices under the plant pots to keep a supply of water available, but they still sometimes need watering twice a day if it is hot and windy.

[Chippy Minton]

Self-watering system in the greenhouse, living in the north-west of England for anything outdoors. Very rarely need to water anything, except occasionally like now for seedlings.

[veggiechicken]

My summer watering regime is the same as my winter one - only when a plant needs it. The Greenhouse is watered more frequently. Pots also. Newly planted seedlings have a good soak, after that they have to fend for themselves. Life's too short to water everything!

[Greenleaves]

I will keep seeds damp and puddle in brassicas and water once more, after that I let them search out their own moisture. I rarely water roots as I want them to grow down, not out.

Beans get a good soaking weekly regardless of the weather

[bikermike]

my regime works - I watered my plot last night... and woke up to rain this morning...

[Stan79]

As and when needed dictated by the weather for stuff outdoors... a bit of stress for a plant can be good for it as long as you don't kill it.

"Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger" as the saying goes!

[1Bee]

My watering regime is:

Think, "I'm in Cumbria, I don't have to water."

Start watering sometime in May, after weeks of no rainfall. Swear a lot. Keep watering as long as it doesn't rain. Swear some more.

It starts to rain. Stop watering.

Swear a lot when it's too wet in autumn and I can't dig the beds over.

[chris_m]

My watering regime is:
Think, "I'm in Cumbria, I don't have to water."

Hehe, I know what you mean.

When I said I was moving to the Lake District my sister said "Why do you want to go there? It always rains." to which I replied "If it didn't rain a fair bit, it'd only be called the Puddle District"

Mind you, we could do with some rain now - if we don't get some soon my butts and reserve store will be dry and I'll have to use "paid for" water for the garden

[ESBkevin]

Hanging baskets, flower pots and planters regularly as applicable.
Home gardens are good fertile composted soil with a healthy mulch these days so tend to thrive most of the time.
Greenhouse, well we're in there daily soaking all the time soaking from the rain butts.
On the plot, again we visit every couple of days or more. Some things need more attention than others (like Toms, Cucumbers etc.). We've had no rain for a couple of weeks now and the over wintered onions are starting to bolt, despite being in decent composted soil with mulch or even some in deep raised beds. Heads nipped out and watering has commenced, I even tried topping up some mulch.

[monkeyboy]

Well I *was* watering the toms twice a week. I watered each pot yesterday with about 2 litres of water. Today (26 hours later) I stuck a moisture meter in. On the cusp of being dry. Think I'll increase to alternate days.