Watering Desert Vegetables

Keeping a vegetable garden properly watered is of vital importance, not only the desert southwest, but also in arid semi-desert regions. Not enough water can cause extreme stress on vegetable plants, lower the quality and yield of plants, and even kill them.

But too much water on vegetable plants can cause their roots to rot, or may cause plants to have heavy leaf growth but no fruit production.

So the gardener who wants to raise vegetables in arid regions must walk something of a tightrope when it comes to watering. However, once they get the hang of it, watering difficulties and questions vanish. Most gardeners develop an almost sixth sense when it comes to how much water to give their plants.

Watering established plants

Just-started seedlings need to be watered frequently. But once your plants are in the ground and established, they don’t need water that regularly. Water them less frequently, but very deeply, making sure that the soil is wet at least down a foot. Then allow the surface soil to dry out. That’s about the top one inch of soil. This will encourage the plant to send its roots deeper, and help make them more drought tolerant.

In very sandy soil, water every three to seven days, because the water will drain more quickly from the sand.

In heavier soils, water ever eight to 12 days.

There are, of course, other factors to take into consideration in watering vegetables. If it’s really hot outside, water the plants more frequently. In cooler weather, less frequently.

Sprinklers are inefficient

Even though sprinklers are very popular among home gardeners, they are very inefficient, particularly in arid areas. Because the air is so dry, much of the water can be lost, evaporating into the air. This is especially true when the dry spring winds stretch across the deserts.

Additionally, sprinklers can cause soil crusting, which can lead to water actually running off the soil instead of into it, and actually depriving the plants of water.

Drip Irrigation

The most efficient method for irrigating in any arid location is drip irrigation. Put drip lines near the vegetable plant. The water will then move evenly out from the plant’s base, giving all the roots water.

Watering by Hand

if your garden is small enough to be watered by hand, then, by all means, do it that way. Many gardeners like the “hands on” approach to watering their plants, inspecting the plants for diseases and pest damage at the same time.

Like hand-weeding, watering by hand has been described as “keeping your shadow on your garden,” and gardeners stay well-informed about the day-to-day growth and problems of their plants.

Related articles

1. Desert Vegetable Gardens
2. Planning A Desert Vegetable Garden
3. Desert Climates and Vegetable Gardens
4. Desert Vegetable Gardens: Soil Preparation
5. Planting A Desert Vegetable Garden
6. Pests in a Desert Vegetable Garden
7. Fertilizing A Desert Vegetable Garden