Watering

Yes, there is my fair haired daughter out without a hat on- she's stubborn about that-
so we try to indulge her hatlessness at times of day when the sun is least hot-
 early morning and late evening.

This year it seems that watering is one of our main jobs, though after we watered the summer squash it did rain about an inch- the soil is still pretty dry considering- we were able to weed the evening after it rained. Though I have to say things are looking really good out there- everything does well with enough heat I guess, and if we can manage to keep the garden watered then we'll have a really great year I think.  Watering is also one of N's favorite jobs, especially when she's allowed to get mucky and then clean up at the sprinkler (then go inside and have a real clean up in the tub).

We invested in a 50 gallon water tank this spring that fits on the back of the 'gator and then gravity feeds out a hose. It's a slow process, first filling it and then letting it down low enough to gravity feed, and because there's no pressure it takes a little while to empty- and you have to move the hose to each plant, and move the 'gator up the row as you go. But it's better than nothing- we also have a good sprinkler head- but it's obviously not as selective as the hose, so you end up putting water on the pathways as well as the plants, and it's a bit of a waste of water in certain spots, though fine in others, like the winter squash and strawberry patch.

What I'd really love out there is a complicated irrigation system with sprinklers and soaker hoses, depending on the crop, but that's a little bit much right now. One day maybe. We already do what we can as far as not watering, the garden is located in the lowest spot in our yard, so it retains the most moisture- and this is the first year that we've really had to consider watering- mostly there's enough residual water there to make it through any dry patches we have. We also mulch the things that don't create their own cover (onions, peppers, eggplants, strawberries, garlic etc.)- and plant others close enough together so that they do provide their own shade, (things like beans and greens are planted in a block rather than a single row) so that they grow up and out compete weeds, and shade the ground helping to keep moisture in. We plant things in as deep as we can as well things- to let it get at the water under the soil.