In 40 years of garden I have never watered a garden before

[Moondog]

I don't know if it is this forum or what. I have been gardening with my parents and grandparents since I was 8 years old. Now I garden with my boys who really don't care for it. In all that time I have never watered a garden. In 1987 we got like .15 inches of rain in june and I didn't water and everything turned out fine. This year we have not had enough rain to measure at my place in the month of June. Haven't had a good shower since like May 14th. So of course my garden looks stressed and I have seen it look this stressed before but with all you folks talking about drip irrigation, soaker hoses, sprinkler systems, and pipe of all fashion I actually went into the garden with a water hose and watered everything but the potatoes. They are about done anyway. I couldn't water both gardens - on is like 500' away from the house and any water source. I did water the plot behind the house - about 1/4 of an acre. We will see if there is any apprciable difference in the bean harvest. 

[corl]

I'm with you Moondog. I would never say never but I would rarely carry a sprinkling can out to the garden to help along some young lettuce plants in years past, Fast forward to this forum and this year I converted my dump trailer with a hose bib and pump it full of water from the stream and have watered the garden 3 times already this summer. I used to get BER probably because of the watering practice of not watering. This year I am bound and determined to have a better garden even if it means watering it. Also the weather pattern is changing so I need to change as well - old dogs etc...

[ashlogcreek]

As far as I'm concerned, city/community water SUCKS for a garden. BUT, on the other hand, moisture is moisture, and when a garden needs help, anything is better than nothing. We all put too much work into a garden, to allow it to suffer, for a few dollars worth of water we can use to help the stressed garden make it until there's some rainfall.

[AllisCA]

You know something is messed up in the weather patterns when Ohio will be warmer than Florida tomorrow. Actually I imagine many places far north will be warmer than places in the south.

[tuttimato]

Moondog I'd say you are truly blessed with great soil.  Corl I know you've improved yours to the highest organic content so it's no wonder you have more ideal conditions.  Two and a half weeks ago I got 15 + inches of rain on the weekend and 4 days later when I went to hoe weeds, dust was flying.  I had to go down about 3 inches to find moisture and of course the areas I've been working to improve were better than the rest.

The weather is changing and it's scary.  All I know to do is keep trying to build up the soil and try to get positioned to be flexible.  The aquifers are not recharging fast enough in a lot of places.

[tbird]

  When Krakatoa erupted in the 1800s the American Indians called it the year without summer.  The temperatures in the Midwest never got out of the 50s for highs.  Most crops in the northern hemisphere failed throughout the world.  The past 11 years has shown no increase in average temperature of the Earth and it has actually cooled some. The year 1753 marked the end of the last ice age.  That is why the American Settlers had such harsh winters we all learned about in history class.  I remember as a kid thinking the Pilgrims must have been a bunch of wuss' the way they complained about winter in their writings.  I was 40 years old when I started reading about ice ages and warming trends.  Rome began on a warming trend 1.9 degrees warmer than we are now. That era of a few hundred years appears to be the warmest it has been for 8,000 years or so.  When that warming trend began to cool and Europe's available farm land decreased by 40% the Dark ages began.  That trend lasted until 1753.   Climate changes all the time and it affects places and areas positively and negatively.  The warming trend (Global Warmng) that began  before Rome allowed Europe to flourish when bogs and moors became able to support crops due to the warming,  Egypt suffered as did the Middle East, but Northern Europe flourished until the 800s when the mini ice age began.  Europe lost 65% of its' population over the next 500 years whereas the Middle East flourished.  

  The trends will continue.  There is no guarantee that one day the temps may just go up until we go away or the temps drop until the same thing happens.  Either way, funneling trillions of poor people's dollars into poorly organized, underperforming technological companies is going to solve nothing,  but many political people and their loyal friends will live like kings until the curtain comes down.

[Moondog]

Moondog I'd say you are truly blessed with great soil.  Corl I know you've improved yours to the highest organic content so it's no wonder you have more ideal conditions.  Two and a half weeks ago I got 15 + inches of rain on the weekend and 4 days later when I went to hoe weeds, dust was flying.  I had to go down about 3 inches to find moisture and of course the areas I've been working to improve were better than the rest.

The weather is changing and it's scary.  All I know to do is keep trying to build up the soil and try to get positioned to be flexible.  The aquifers are not recharging fast enough in a lot of places.

Tutti, I have been blessed. this is the same garden site that my parents used as I grew up. It is a clay sand mix along a long river silt bottom. 5 feet down is water(below river level) The river is still running but there are places I could just step across. We have put so much horse manure on this spot it should whinny every time I start the tiller. I seldom ever fertilize beans. Taters, onions, corn and of course tomatoes get fertilizer. Most of the herbs get compost only. I think the ground is dry enough to even start watering the thyme.... It does not grow peppers well nor does it grow Okra well so I started another garden spot a little farther away from the river with fuller sun in hope of helping the Okra. Now I can't get water to it without the truck. But I have never watered before and didn;t know I would need to this year.

[bigwad1]

Mother Nature used to water for me. This year I've never watered the gardens so much in my whole life.
Just come in from the garden after a few hours of tilling, and the thermometer down there reached 109 this afternoon. There is no shade at the garden to protect it from the heat of the sun, but the wind has blown 30 mph almost every day since the first of the year.
It's no wonder a person has to water the ground so much around here to get those vegies to grow.
Where's the rain Mother Nature?

[jcdogfish]

Moondog, you got me thinking now.  I am on the banks of the Mississippi and have clay that has lots of compost etc added.  I can't make bell peppers worth a darn.  As far as watering I think its just survival sometimes.  If I don't water some in the dry spells when I get a soaker the tomatos, melons etc all get bottom rot.  If I keep the moisture somewhat constant its not near as bad.  Last week we got tons of rain, this week dry and hooootttt.  The Mirliton will fry no matter if I water or not like the last few years, the squirrels and rabbits are getting the melons and the birds are getting whats left of the tomatos.  Can't complain much, its been a good garden.  I will probably till in most of it this weekend and start getting ready for the fall.

[Cartoad]

Two and a half weeks ago I got 15 + inches of rain on the weekend

That's just about what I see in a whole year!  9.66 inches this year to date.

[Moondog]

Two and a half weeks ago I got 15 + inches of rain on the weekend

That's just about what I see in a whole year!  9.66 inches this year to date.

We average 21" from May thru Sept... So far this year we have had 2" out of the 9" we should have gotten in May and June. Our highest temp ever recorded by the local weather monitor was 100 back in August 1983 - Friday and Saturday we are supposed to reach 100. 

[Samcro]

I have been watering from the creek it is about 53* (water temp ) the garden is loving it , However so are the weeds . time to get my hoe and tiller out yet again .... Gerrrr

Sam

[crazygardener]

Wow...never water the garden?  I know you for sure don't live in Texas.

crazy

[americancrusader]

i cant put enough water on the garden i have had water standing in the rows and  the next day i can kick dust the tomatoes are about done  even the okra is having trouble this year i will have to see about the water melons and pumpkin

[mudfish2]

I guess I have been relatively lucky so far.  I did not get much rain in June but it sounds like I got more than most.  Ya'lls hot air is heading my way.  It forecasted to be 100+ for the next 4 days and then dropping all the way down to 98 or 99 degrees.  I have not had any rain for two and a half weeks now and none forecasted for anytime soon.  Thankfully I have a good well that allows we to water the garden so my veggies are still looking pretty good.  I hope things change for the better for you guys sometime soon.

[Redbug]

Very interesting reading, Tbird. I love history but wished I knew more.

By the way...we are looking at around 102 degrees or so the next few days. No rain in sight.

All the big farmers are putting in the big deep wells around here for irrigation like there's no end. 10 inch and down to around 1000 feet. There are no controls on putting wells in around here, and the farmers are getting as many put in as they can before some kind of legislation controls it. The well drillers are backed up for months...

[rhashell]

I put in a drip system this year and very thankful I did!!!! It is saying 115 degrees today here and the humity is terrable. southeast Indiana
It is bone dry and like to have never got the carrots dug this morning. I use the irrigation sparingly as the water bill is going to be thru the roof. But, I'm still planting and put the drip line on and up the seeds pop in like 3-4 days on my beans, melons etc. I have not been tilling as yu can't breath for all the dust and it lets out moisture if there is any.