When to Water Vegetables

With water becoming a scarce and costly commodity in some areas, many vegetable gardeners might wonder just how much water plants really need.

In areas without drought, a common mistakes new gardeners make is watering too much!

To address the big watering question, below is a chart that tells you critical times to water each vegetable crop as well as the number of gallons of water needed.

Of course, these guidelines assume that you have rich, well-balanced soil. Increase frequency during hot, dry periods.

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Vegetable	Critical time(s) to water for a 5-foot row	Number of gallons of water needed
Beans	When flowers form and during pod-forming and picking	2 per week depending on rainfall
Beets	Before soil gets bone-dry	1 at early stage; 2 every 2 weeks
Broccoli	Don't let soil dry out for 4 weeks after transplanting.	1 to 1 1/2 per week
Brussels sprouts	Don't let soil dry out for 4 weeks after transplanting.	1 to 1 1/2 per week
Cabbage	Water frequently in dry weather for best crop	2 per week
Carrots	Before soil gets bone-dry	1 at early stage; 2 every 2 weeks as roots mature
Cauliflower	Water frequently for best crop.	2 per week
Celery	Water frequently for best crop.	2 per week
Corn	When tassels form and when cobs swell	2 at important stages (left)
Cucumbers	Water frequently for best crop.	1 per week
Lettuce/Spinach	Water frequently for best crop.	2 per week
Onions	In dry weather, water in early stage to get plants going.	1/2 to 1 per week if soil is very dry
Parsnips	Before soil gets bone-dry	1 per week in early stages
Peas	When flowers form and during pod-forming and picking	2 per week
Potatoes	When the size of marbles	2 per week
Squash	Water frequently for best crop.	1 per week
Tomatoes	For 3 to 4 weeks after transplanting and when flowers and fruit form	1 gallon twice a week or more

Needs a lot of water during dry spells.

Needs water at critical stages of development.

Does not need frequent watering.

For more on watering the garden, especially in drought, click to read our article on "The Water-Wise Garden."

Related Articles

• The Water-Wise Garden
• Vegetable Garden Planner