Watering vegetables in a dry spell

Yet again we have had a dry month here, just when the potatoes need water to encourage the new potatoes to develop, the same happened last year. Last year this dry spell was followed with rain and the perfect conditions for blight followed, just keeping our fingers crossed that this does not happen again this year.

One of the problems with watering crops on an allotment is the to and fro to the water tap with watering cans. Our allotment rules say no watering cans, so the trips back and forth become tiring and only the essential things get watered as a consequence. I can understand the rule as it is a fair one, the cost of the water bill has to be covered by our rent and no one wants that to increase in leaps and bounds.

So the potatoes get watered, but sometimes even the things like the garlic,onions and shallots that normally survive without being treated to a watering are so dry that they need to be given their share.

The time spent on watering can duty could be well spent on sowing seeds and weeding. my attitude to caring for the allotment usually ends up as a compromise between  with the great idea I had of what jobs I will do on my next visit and a quick assessment when I arrive at the allotment; resulting in me tackling the urgent and essential tasks instead. Watering is therefore the task that wins when the alternative is going to affect the crop.

I do not water unless it is essential though as I have a theory that over watering is counter-productive and causes problems in several ways.

BTW. Remember it is more efficient to water early or late in the day as at mid-day the watering is less effective on a warm day. Also keep in mind when watering potatoes that some people believe water left on the foliage overnight when the temperature drops can encourage blight to develop.

That's all from me or now- more soon, with new photos to follow soon.

Watering your potatoes in a dry spell

As well as earthing up your potatoes as they grow, it is a good idea to water them if the weather is really dry.

At the stage when the new 'little potatoes' are starting to form, if the weather goes through a dry spell you may find watering the potato patch a good idea. If the forming potatoes suffer from 'drought conditions' as they develop then the crop yield will be reduced.

This is different to my approach to watering

Dry spells cause problems in the vegetable garden at this time of year, especially if you have sandy soil.

The seedlings and young plants need moisture to grow and to become established. Potatoes do not produce such a good crop in dry conditions. Watering with a watering can is often hard work if the water tap is a long way from your vegetable plot. Not matter how many trips I do backwards and forwards with two watering cans, it is never the same as a good shower of rain on the soil.

Planting seeds is difficult in dry soil and I am still trying to work out the perfect way to do this. I have two methods I am trying at the moment - one is suitable for larger seeds the other for seeds like lettuce/salad leaf seed.
For larger seed such a french beans - I make a shallow trench just a bit deeper than the depth I want to plant the seed. I pour water into this shallow trench from a watering can, I let it drain away slightly then push a layer of soil on top of the 'mud' into this soil that is sitting on the mud I sow the seeds. I follow the seed packets instructions for depth and spacing of the seeds.

For tiny seeds I water the area I wish to plant them in, go off and do another task, return and rake the seedbed - if it is OK I plant the seeds - to dry and I repeat the watering and waiting, too wet and I let it dry out until i can rake it too as finer crumb as I can. For my sandy soil it is rare in these conditions that I can obtain the ideal fine tilth that is good for seed sowing. Sometimes with vegetable growing you just have to do the best with what nature provides you with that season.

BTW -  watering potatoes - if you put too much on in one watering the potatoes might swell too quickly and split. 

Maybe where you are - you are reading this and thinking - you just wish it would stop raining. What would be ideal would be just the right amount of rain at night - but that would take the challenge out of it I suppose.