Watering
Introduction to Watering Crops
Plants need water to grow, but not all plants need to be watered in the same way. Different plants need different amounts of water at different times. Watering too much or too frequently can damage plants. The most important way to mitigate dry periods is proper soil preparation. Well prepared soil holds water better. Applying mulch on top of soil also helps to slow water loss through evaporation. Here are the most important times to water for different crops.
| Vegetable | Most Important Time To Water |
|---|---|
| Corn | Silking, Tasseling, and Ear Development |
| Legumes (Peas, Peanuts, Beans) | Flowering to Pod Development |
| Brassica (Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli) | Head Formation |
| Root Crops (Onion, Carrot, Potato, Radish) | Root and Tuber Development |
| Cucurbit (Cucubmer, Melon, Squash) | Flowering to Fruit Development |
| Night Shades (Eggplant, Pepper, Tomato) | Uniformly Flowering to Harvest |
How to Water
Plants should be watered around their base and not showered with water from above. Wet leaves can become covered in mold and mildew that harms the plants. In hot weather, water on the leaves can also evaporate quickly and not reach roots if it is left to trickle off the upper parts of plants.
Water Tank Service
One free full water tank will be available at each site. Each tank holds 250 gallons of water. Participants who wish to refill their tank will have to pay an additional $50 per requested refill. At the end of the season, tanks are removed from the site by the City and put into storage. Each tank has a magnetic key lock on the spout and the key for the lock must be returned to the City at the end of the season.