jeff wrote:
So, I've been making some observations on how much water my garden
needs, I have the usual assortment of beginning gardener vegetables.
Plus blueberries, cantaloupes and honeydews.

Topping out the need water category seems to be the cucumbers! It's
in the 90's here and even though I water them in the morning they seem
very droopy by afternoon and I give them more water. I'm thinking that
if a plant's leaves are drooping over, I should water it.

Bell Pepper is next on the list of being thirsty and carrots seem
indifferent. Tomatoes also seem tolerant.

What adjustments should I make?

Jeff

All cucurbits struggle in the heat not just cucumbers. The reason is that
they have big soft leaves that lose water quickly due to both evaporation
and transpiration. On a well grown plant the root system can be huge but
they also have long stems that take time to deliver water up from the roots.
On a hot sunny afternoon it is almost impossible to prevent wilting as the
transport system just can't keep up even if the soil is moist. The good
news is that although wilting will slow down growth (the leaves shut down to
conserve water) they recover quite well.

Things to do:

- Mulch well to avoid soil evaporation. If your soil is sandy add organic
matter to improve its water holding capacity.
- Water deeply and less frequently rather than lightly and often, this will
encourage deep and spreading root systems.
- Water in the mornings before hot days but avoid wetting the leaves as it
will encourage mildew which will reduce your crop much more than wilting.
- Do not overcrowd the plants so that the root system for each plant can
develop fully.
- Allow nodal roots to develop (push some nodes under the mulch and cover
with soil after fruiting if you like) to short circuit the transport issue.
This will also give a measure of protection against vine borer.

David