"Matthew Reed" nospam at zootal dot com nospam wrote in message
...
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?

Short answer: it depends.

Shallow rooted plants, such as peppers and beans won/t appreciate having the
top two inches dry out.

Corn roots OTOH, go much deeper, but corn likes 1-2" / wk following
pollenation when the ears are filling.

Melons, strawberries, and brambles like water while their expanding, but not
while they/re ripening b/c it dilutes their sugar content.

Tomato likes an even water supply, especially while ripening to minimize
splitting.

Best overall advice is to apply mulch and irrigate in the morning to
supplement rainfall so that your plants get ~1" / wk. Like me, you/re on
well water, so drip irrigation is the best method.