Topic: How often should i water...

[kippers garden]

Can anyone tell me how often i should be watering runner beans, onions & tomatoes when it is dry?  I'm on holiday soon for a week, so i don't know if ill get away with a good watering b4 i go and when i return?

Pls help

[Leonnie]

I don't ever water my onions. The runner beans should be fine for a week without water assuming they're planted into the ground. Are your tomatoes in the ground, growbags or pots and are they indoors or outside?

[RSJK]

Kipper are they planted outside, if so they will get away without being watered if not can you not get some one to look after them for you

[laurieuk]

When I had my first allotment there was no water laid on and the plot was about 2 miles from home . When we wanted to plant things like cabbage we took bottles of water in a home made cart and watered the plants in, apart from that nothing got watered apart from when it rained. I do think we overdo the idea of plants needing so much water.

[RSJK]

Laurie I tend to agree with you there about plants being watered.

[plimsoll plot]

a week with no water will be fine if its not to hot

[redimp]

I hardly water anything and most things do well.  I will be watering curcubits and squash this year as yields last year were low but the only other things I water are seeds and recently transplanted plants.  If you water too much, roots stay near the surface, not deep where it is nearly always damp.  They can also get too hot near the surface in hot weather. Go easy on the water and roots go deeper so less watering is needed later.

[Rosyred]

I was quite surprized at my seeds that have come up with only one watering. Planted beetroot, radish, pak choi, spinach, carrots and little gem didn't water on the day of sowing went down two days later as I felt I should and they came up even had a radish yesterday to eat.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I barely water; it's only the very shallow-rooted things which seem to suffer once they've settled in. Transplants often need water, and stuff like lettuce or spinach which doesn't go deep. mosly, things are perfectly OK without.

[Mrs Ava]

I have no piped water and only have what mother nature supplies.  I only water seed drills and tansplanted seedlings/plantlets.  Other than that, nothing gets watered and I think I do just fine.  If you let plants go looking for the underground water they will develop stong deep roots.  If you water, they will stay nearer the surface and suffer more from drought.

[John_H]

If I go away for a couple of weeks I just pull all the beans off and leave only flowers on the plants, by the time I get back everything is just the right size to pick again - its worth cutting any hint of a flower off courgette plants for the same reason.

[pntalbot]

My potatoes are `Earthed up`--how often, in this nice weather, should I Water them ? ?

[laurieuk]

I have never watered potaoes and do not know anyone who has so I would'nt worry too much.

[Robert_Brenchley]

i just put loads of mulch on and let them get on with it. I've never had a problem from drought.

[kippers garden]

Everything is planted straight in the ground in my allotment.  My tomatoes are planted thru weed suppressant material to stop them drying out.

Thanks for all your advice...i think i've been reading too much and confused myself again.