Watering the Vegetable Garden. What Are Each Plant’s Needs?

by Laura Mitran · May 26, 2017

Hot summer months are drawing near and water is the first priority in your vegetable garden. But having the additional water supply during drought isn’t enough, you have to know what are the needs of every crop and how to water correctly. Otherwise, you may do more harm than good and lose a significant part of your future harvest. So here’s what you need to know about watering the vegetable garden.

First of all, no plant is to be watered during the day, in the heat. To help your vegetables face the stress of high temperatures, it’s best to water them in the morning, before the sun is up. You can also spray water on their leaves at this time.

Watering them in the evening, after the sunset, works too, but is not as efficient. Water shouldn’t get on the plants’ leaves at this time, as it may cause them to mold.

Small ditches should be dug around plants that need a lot of water, such as tomatoes, to get more water to their roots.

Irrigation goes hand in hand with regular weeding out, because weeds expand their roots excessively and deprive the vegetables of water and nutrients.

Watering the Vegetable Garden. How Often?

Vegetables need in-depth watering every 2 – 5 days, depending on the temperatures, or at least twice a week. Watering in depth more rarely is better than doing it shallowly more often.

When temperatures are very high and the air gets very dry, seedlings and young plants need watering every day.

If you have your vegetables planted on high beds made with wood boards, they will need more water. You should also water those every day when it gets very hot.

Watering the Vegetable Garden. Different Plants Needs

Salad and spinach: Can’t stand the drought and need to be watered more intensively 2 – 4 weeks before harvesting.
Tomato: As the fruit forms and grows, it needs to be watered regularly.
Cucumber: Needs more intensive irrigation 30 – 40 days after blooming.
Pepper: Should be watered in the morning, after the flowers wither and as fruit forms.
New potatoes: Need intensive irrigation at the beginning of June, when the tubercles develop.
Kohlrabi: It needs regular watering all through its development, otherwise may turn cracked or wood-textured.
Cauliflower: Needs the soil mois around it all the time and more water in the second half of its development.
Cabbage: Needs a lot of water, especially as the heads take shape.
Radish: Needs a lot of water all through its development.
Carrot and parsley (root): Need the most water right after planting and less before harvesting, or the roots may be cracked.
Celery: Needs more water in August and September.
Onion and garlic: Reduce watering before harvesting.