[JeanetteCoulson]

I'm very new to gardening and especially growing veg and have found it really useful reading all the advise in the forums.
I noticed on another topic something about overwatering and am now worried that I'm guilty of it. I've built 4 raised beds in my garden (prone to flooding so had no choice!) about 18inches high and have now planted out all my root veg, onions etc and started with some cabbage, beans etc. I watered my seeds & sets in when I planted them and have been watering every day since as the surface is very dry. Is this too much and how often should I be watering. :?:
Also we had a major downpour on Sunday and the surface of my root bed is now very smooth and compact - will the new planted seeds be able to break through the surface. :?:
Any advice gratefully received.
Thanks

[Oscar Too]

difficult to say without seeing your beds.  Also, different plants like different conditions - sweetcorn will die if overwatered, whereas cukes love it, but you musn't let the water touch the stem base.

Is the soil moist?  Is it very sandy or full of clay?  If the garden is prone to flooding that suggests poor drainage and less need to water.  

Get a few books from the library and read them thoroughly.  Also remember that gardening, like cooking, is an accumulation of years of experience and that not everything is going to work first time.

And enjoy it - your successes will taste all the sweeter for your failures.

[JeanetteCoulson]

Thanks for coming back so quickly.
The beds are 4ft*10ft and filled with a mixture of top soil and compost.
When it rains we do seem to get sand appearing on the top of the soil - I've never figured out where it comes from! :?
The area where the beds are has been prone to flooding so we raised the land level and built the beds on top as I didn;t want my veg getting waterlogged as soon as it rained. All I have planted at the moment is:
carrots/parsnips/beetroots in one bed
Onions/spring onions/shallots in another bed
beans/brocolli/cabbage/turnip/swede in a third
The fourth I'm using as a seed bed and for some beans.
Everything else is still indoors at the moment as I started growing from seed quite late - long story for another time!
I'm loving the whole process at the moment its great getting in from work and spending a couple of hours planting and repotting things - can't wait for the first successes    (and preparing for the failures   ).

[Big Jen]

Hi
I have two raised beds that i have had for a number of years. My personal experience is that they dry out very quickly and I need to water more than other parts of my garden. I think its because of "gravity" draining the water away quicker.
Take no notice of the soil being dry on the top- a better guide for the need to water is to poke your finger into the soil and if it feels damp dont water it. I find mulches help on raise beds in retaining moisture.
BJ