Lack of water

johnp on 2/11/2013, 12:08 pm

We finally got 3.7 inches of snow (0.35") last night which is a big help with our extreem drought. I've been told by a water board member we have enough water to not go on restrictions this year but I want to be as frugal as I can. I have been told or read somewhere that most vegtables require 1" of water per week or maybe twice a week in the hot weather. If this is right I know that it takes 62 gal. to water 100 sq. ft. to 1" and if I measure my flow rate then I know how many min. to water each bed. I think MM will retain the water but for a week I don't know.

CapeCoddess on 2/11/2013, 12:31 pm

Hi John

Since I mixed up different batches of MM for each box, they all seem to have their own personalities. Some have med vermiculite and some have large, and some have a verm/perlite blend. Two of mix in my beds are also from Mels old book. So I have to water each by feel.

Also, there's a topic about a method called Back to Eden where you put wood chips over the bed to hold in the moisture for extremely long periods of time. I'm standing on the sidelines & watching this since I thought it might use up too much nitrogen from the MM, but I believe mulched leaves, straw or rough compost would work very well as a top mulch and serve the same purpose.

CC

**camprn** on 2/11/2013, 1:17 pm

Mulch heavily for moisture retention.

quiltbea on 2/11/2013, 1:19 pm

I did the math:

I took an 8" sq baking dish and added 4 cups water to get one inch.
That means a 12" square needs 9 cups for one inch of water.

16 Sq ft per 4 x 4 bed = 144 cups needed.

144 cups divided by 16 cups per gal = approx 9 gals water per bed.

I'll definitely be rejigging my water needs this year.

**Kelejan** on 2/11/2013, 1:26 pm

@quiltbea wrote:I did the math:

I took an 8" sq baking dish and added 4 cups water to get one inch.
That means a 12" square needs 9 cups for one inch of water.

16 Sq ft per 4 x 4 bed = 144 cups needed.

144 cups divided by 16 cups per gal = approx 9 gals water per bed.

I'll definitely be rejigging my water needs this year.

Thanks for doing the math, quiltby. Smile

I would add that if watering using cups, don't put nine cups in a square all at once, but do maybe a third at a time then go on to another square, then back to the first. It will give the water some time to soak in and not allow most of the water to dribble right through and out the bottom. Especially do this is if the top of the square is dry when you start. Then make sure you mulch.

This is what I learned from last year and this year I intend to carry out what I am preaching.

quiltbea on 2/11/2013, 1:56 pm

kelejan.....Good thought.

**camprn** on 2/11/2013, 3:14 pm

Always check the soil conditions before watering. The reality is that those plants, when 4" tall will not require anywhere near what a 16" tall plant drinks.

johnp on 2/11/2013, 6:27 pm

Thanks for the input. If you take a bucket out to the garden and measure the wand output for 1 min. you can get your flow. Say the out put was four gal. per min.Four goes into 62 about 15 min. So a 4x8 (32sq.ft.) is about a third so a 4x8 box would take about 5 min. and a 4x4 would be 2.5 min..What I am trying to do is water the least amount possible as I have been blamed for over watering or not watering deep enough or ... anyway you get it.

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