Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Blossie on June 27, 2021, 18:20

Title: advice on self watering raised beds for a week
Post by: Blossie on June 27, 2021, 18:20

hello. this is my first post on here. hope someone can help. Can you please advise on best method of self-watering my raised veg beds for a week in the summer when I am away?
thanks very much

Title: Re: advice on self watering raised beds for a week
Post by: Christine on June 28, 2021, 08:35

A kind neighbour?

Title: Re: advice on self watering raised beds for a week
Post by: Plot94 on June 28, 2021, 08:57

My favorite method is a heavy watering then a ggod deep mulch, hay, straw or cardboard should be suffiecient for a week away. Anything longer you might want to look at the various drip watering systems that are around. Enjoy your week away  :)

Title: Re: advice on self watering raised beds for a week
Post by: Yorkie on June 28, 2021, 20:06

What's in your raised beds? Unless there's a real heatwave forecast, then a decent water before you go - if needed at all - should suffice.

Forgive me if you already know this, but with watering, you should aim for more water, more infrequently.  If you water a little and often, then you are setting the plant up for drought stress because the roots stay near the surface.  If you treat them a little more meanly, they put roots down into the earth in the search for water.

I rarely water anything in beds after they are established, although I do recognise that raised beds can dry out more quickly than standard beds.