On Tue, 11 Jul 2006 14:54:31 -0700, "Matthew Reed" nospam at zootal
dot com nospam wrote:

If I dig down 3-4 inches, the soil appears moist. Should I wait until it's
dry to a depth of several inches before watering? My garden is doing well,
even my beans are doing good now that the weather is warm. If anything, I'm
overwatering. My nieghbors say that our wells will run dry in August, and I
will have to switch to city water to keep plants alive. At that time I will
need to cut watering to a minimum while still maintaining health and
productivity.

So - what is a good indication of the need to water? Wait until plants start
to wilt? Wait until soil is dry at a depth of several inches. Water twice a
week, needed or not?


Of course containers need almost daily watering, but I only water in
the ground when I first see the start of a wilt on the least drought
tolerant plant in the garden. In "general" one inch per week is
ideal, but not always necessary.