My veggies are not producing like they should. one zucchini per plant, they
bloom, the leaves turn yellow and brown out and no veggies set on. My
tomatoes are getting all yellow leaves at the bottom. Lots of blooms and no
tomatoes, When I don't water everything acts like its going to shrivel up
and die. Help please.!!!

Thanks, Kathy

in article , Kathy at
wrote on 8/2/03 6:00 PM:

My veggies are not producing like they should. one zucchini per plant, they
bloom, the leaves turn yellow and brown out and no veggies set on. My
tomatoes are getting all yellow leaves at the bottom. Lots of blooms and no
tomatoes, When I don't water everything acts like its going to shrivel up
and die. Help please.!!!

Thanks, Kathy


You certainly can overwater. Have you measured how much water you use? If
you water by hand, see how long it takes to fill a gallon jug. Then report
back to us how much water you use, and how big an area is covered. To help
more, convert you expended water into the equivalent number of inches of
rain. Also tell us how often you water at that level.

Bill

Thanks for the willingness to help. There are veggies growing in areas all
over the yard. The zucchini is like three plants in an area 3' x 18" and we
water about 2 gallons per day. in that area. The veggies are in a mote so
they catch all that 2 gallons of water. Sometimes we do that twice a day. We
have found that the plants if not watered daily look like there dyeing, the
leaves all shrivel up and limp and lifeless looking. The tomatoes don't get
as much water they just get what the sprinklers give them each morning or
10min. They did pretty good but not as well as one would think. We have
given them extra water as well like a gallon a day for one plant without a
mote around it.

Thanks Again for your help. Kathy

"Repeating Decimal" wrote in message
...
in article , Kathy at
wrote on 8/2/03 6:00 PM:

My veggies are not producing like they should. one zucchini per plant,
they
bloom, the leaves turn yellow and brown out and no veggies set on. My
tomatoes are getting all yellow leaves at the bottom. Lots of blooms and
no
tomatoes, When I don't water everything acts like its going to shrivel
up
and die. Help please.!!!

Thanks, Kathy


You certainly can overwater. Have you measured how much water you use? If
you water by hand, see how long it takes to fill a gallon jug. Then report
back to us how much water you use, and how big an area is covered. To help
more, convert you expended water into the equivalent number of inches of
rain. Also tell us how often you water at that level.

Bill

Kathy wrote:

We
have found that the plants if not watered daily look like there dyeing,
the leaves all shrivel up and limp and lifeless looking.

Something is wrong here.

a) do you mulch? (2-6" of straw, leaves, clippings or similar)
b) what sort of soil do you have?
c) how deeply is it worked?

In most cases, except in extremes of heat, nearly any vegetable can keep up
with water demand if the water is both present and available and if they
have a healthy root system.

Compost holds 900% its weight in water. Sand holds 2% and clay about 20%.

You are having to water too often. In good soil, with a decent mulch, weekly
or perhaps twice weekly watering should be more than enough. There is no
soil that adding compost to will not improve except one that already has
enough (rare).

Bill
--
Zone 5b (Detroit, MI)
I do not post my address to news groups.

In article , fakedaddress@organic-
earth.com says...
You are having to water too often. In good soil, with a decent mulch, weekly
or perhaps twice weekly watering should be more than enough. There is no
soil that adding compost to will not improve except one that already has
enough (rare).


I'm gardening in raised beds. They were filled with "flower mix" from a
local soil dealer, which is supposed to retain water well. If the
temperatures stay in the 70s and 80s with sunny days, I can water every
third day. If it gets into the 90s I have to water every other day.

So once or twice a week isn't enough in all conditions, although it does
appear it would be in the conditions that Kathy describes.

--
Where ARE those Iraqi WMDs?

How much are you watering at a time ? It is better to give a deep
watering once a week, then 3 shallow ones. The deep watering causes the
roots to go deeper thereby avoiding drought.
A simple rule of thumb is 1-2 inches of water per week. If you do it
slow so it soaks in and doesn't run off you should be able to do it once
a week.
Unless my math is off, a gallon of water is 231 cubic inches. So a
gallon would give an inch of water over an area 10 inches by 23 inches,
or 15 inches by 15 inches.
PS don't forget the whole root zone needs the 1-2 inches

Larry Blanchard wrote:

In article , fakedaddress@organic-
earth.com says...


You are having to water too often. In good soil, with a decent mulch, weekly
or perhaps twice weekly watering should be more than enough. There is no
soil that adding compost to will not improve except one that already has
enough (rare).




I'm gardening in raised beds. They were filled with "flower mix" from a
local soil dealer, which is supposed to retain water well. If the
temperatures stay in the 70s and 80s with sunny days, I can water every
third day. If it gets into the 90s I have to water every other day.

So once or twice a week isn't enough in all conditions, although it does
appear it would be in the conditions that Kathy describes.

Thanks so much for your help, I think its the soil condition, I started out
with rock hard soil that had never been mulched, I tried adding grass
clippings and some left over potting soil to just the little areas I was
going to plant in but I'll bet I need more mulch in a wider area than the
foot and a half I am planting in. Those poor roots must be in a ball down
there cause they surely couldn't go any further in that hard soil. I never
really gave this much thought till you all mentioned it. I will do some
serious mulching before I plant again and surely over the winter my mulching
will pay off for next years garden. Thanks you all, I needed the advise.

Kathy


"Brian" wrote in message
...
How much are you watering at a time ? It is better to give a deep
watering once a week, then 3 shallow ones. The deep watering causes the
roots to go deeper thereby avoiding drought.
A simple rule of thumb is 1-2 inches of water per week. If you do it
slow so it soaks in and doesn't run off you should be able to do it once
a week.
Unless my math is off, a gallon of water is 231 cubic inches. So a
gallon would give an inch of water over an area 10 inches by 23 inches,
or 15 inches by 15 inches.
PS don't forget the whole root zone needs the 1-2 inches

Larry Blanchard wrote:

In article , fakedaddress@organic-
earth.com says...


You are having to water too often. In good soil, with a decent mulch,
weekly
or perhaps twice weekly watering should be more than enough. There is no
soil that adding compost to will not improve except one that already has
enough (rare).




I'm gardening in raised beds. They were filled with "flower mix" from a
local soil dealer, which is supposed to retain water well. If the
temperatures stay in the 70s and 80s with sunny days, I can water every
third day. If it gets into the 90s I have to water every other day.

So once or twice a week isn't enough in all conditions, although it does
appear it would be in the conditions that Kathy describes.

In article , says...
How much are you watering at a time ? It is better to give a deep
watering once a week, then 3 shallow ones. The deep watering causes the
roots to go deeper thereby avoiding drought.
A simple rule of thumb is 1-2 inches of water per week. If you do it
slow so it soaks in and doesn't run off you should be able to do it once
a week.


Sorry for the slow reply - I've been away from computers for a week :-).

Since the soil in the raised beds is about 1" below the tops of the
boards, I know I'm giving at least an inch (some soaks in while I'm
filling). It doesn't make sense to me either, but my garden suffers if I
water less.

--
Where ARE those Iraqi WMDs?