Garden Watering in Denver: A Guide to Perfect Plant Hydration
Be the baby bear, and get your watering just right! Is it too much? Too little? Just right?????
With the desire to conserve water at an all time high, watering your kitchen garden can sometimes feel wasteful - even though what you’re watering is feeding you and your family...and maybe your neighbors if its zucchini season.
So getting it right is super important not just from the water conservation side, but also because overwatering leads to runoff of nutrients and under-watering stresses plants.
(I’m totally picturing little nitrogen molecules running away with their little sneakers on 😆)
In this blog, you’ll learn:
Understanding Watering Needs
Signs of Overwatering
Signs of Underwatering
Effective Watering Techniques
Understanding Watering Needs:
The first step is understanding and accepting that vegetables are not drought tolerant... and that’s ok.
There is a huge difference in using thousands of gallons of water every summer to water a lawn (which - no shame here - we have grass in our backyard) than there is in using far less water in the kitchen garden or in a low water landscape.
We NEED plants to feed and host wildlife, feed our bellies and souls, and cool off the planet.
And plants NEED water.
READ NEXT: Our Favorite Flowers for Pest Control
signs of overwatering in Colorado
Plants look wilted even though your soil is moist
Yellowing leaves that stay plump
Mold or a lot of mushrooms (some mushroom growth in the garden is normal and is a sign of good soil health. You just don’t want a ton of mushrooms popping up everywhere
Stunted growth since nutrients are being washed out of the soil
Soil consistently soggy even 1" below the surface (about 2 knuckles deep)
Root rot develops (roots become dark and mushy and can sometimes smell)
water is constantly running off the soil surface instead of penetrating it (though this can also be because the soil is too compact or doesn’t have enough compost)
Fruit, especially cherry tomatoes, is cracked (Some varieties of larger tomatoes crack even if you are not overwatering)
Action step
Most of the time overwatering happens if we’ve had rain or if you haven’t adjusted your watering between seasons.
I typically adjust my watering at least 3 times during the season as the weather patterns change and I try to always turn it off for a few days when we get a lot of rain.
Remember, most plants need about 1" of water per week - which means nothing in terms of how much time to turn your irrigation on, but using a rain gauge can help determine how long you can shorten your cycle or turn your water off.
Signs of underwatering in colorado
Leaves look dry and wilted and eventually fall off
Yellowing leaves that eventually turn brown, curl, or get crispy
Slow growth since plants can’t take up nutrients
Soil pulls away from the edges of the raised bed or container
Spider mites appear
Soil is dry 2" deep (about 1 finger deep)
Action step
Most of the time underwatering happens if your soil is super sandy (sand doesn’t hold onto soil well) or if you are watering too shallowly.
Drip emitters are awesome but they need to run for 30+ minutes per cycle to really penetrate the soil at the appropriate depth. And watering twice a day doesn’t necessarily mean morning and night.
When using drip emitters, I run a cycle for 30 minutes, wait 30 minutes for that water to saturate the soil, then run the cycle again. Now the water is moving to a good depth.
Psst… I do this for my 360 emitters (4-8 minutes depending on the season) and my lawn (10-25 minutes depending on the season).
If we’re having many 95-100 degree days, I might add either another day of watering or add a 3rd cycle 30 minutes after the second has ended.
Effective Watering Techniques in denver
Morning Watering: Water slowly in the early morning to minimize evaporation and disease risk.
Deep Watering: Use drip emitters for deep watering. Run the cycle for 30 minutes, wait, then repeat.
Adjust for Heat: Increase watering frequency during heatwaves.
Seed Germination Tips:
When germinating seeds do not let the top portion of the soil dry out.
I use a gentle spray (or sometimes a mist) with the hose over the area for a few seconds, let it sink in, then spray a few more times. During warmer months, I’ll cover the area with a bit of burlap to keep the soil moist even in the hot sun.
Perfecting your watering technique takes time and practice, but it's essential for a thriving Denver garden.
Remember, plants need consistent, deep watering to grow healthy and strong. Embrace the process, learn from mistakes, and enjoy the fruits (and veggies) of your labor.
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Meet the Gardener
I’m Elisa Mack - a mom and Denverite who went from being a green-ish thumb to a kitchen garden fanatic simply by dedicating myself to the study of all things Colorado gardening.
Landscapers don’t design. And nurseries don’t make house calls.
We take a more full-service approach, from designing your dream garden to keeping it beautiful year-round.
And as your coach, I’ll help eliminate the guesswork through every season, no matter your level of knowledge.
