Giving your plants ample water is one of the most important tasks of a gardener. If rainfall doesn’t provide enough, you have to make up the difference.
A good general guideline is an inch of water per week, either by rain or watering; in arid climates, it is double that. In hot weather, vegetables need even more water, up to about ½ inch per week extra for every 10 degrees that the average temperature is above 60 degrees.
By definition, the average temperature is the daytime high plus nighttime low, divided by 2. So, if the high is 95 and the low is 73, the average is 92 + 73, divided by 2. The answer is 82.5. In this case, the garden needs at least another inch of water. This explains why most vegetable gardeners in hot climates just laugh at the “1 inch of water per week” recommendation. That simply doesn’t work in really hot weather for squash, eggplant, tomatoes, and other crops that need lots of water and have big leaves that wilt easily.
You can measure an inch of water by putting a rain gauge or even a tuna can or other container under your sprinkler, soaker, drip, or other watering system. You’ve applied an inch of water when the vessel collects water an inch deep.
SHOULD I WATER MY TOMATOES DAILY? I PLANTED THEM ON THE 12TH AND HAVE WATERED THEM DAILY THUS FAR. I LIVE IN THE CHICAGOLAND AREA.
Hi Jaymz,
I suggest you read our article “How Much Water Do Vegetables Need?” You might want to get a rain/water gauge to measure how much water your plants are getting. You can also read the other articles in our Watering section to learn more best practices.
Happy growing (and watering)!
Kelly, Bonnie Plants