A chap on our allotment site (you know the type, been there for years, grows fab veg, no pests or diseases, makes everything look really easy) wins loads of prizes at the local shows, has fab veg but NEVER waters them after the initial watering in. He says that the plants are stronger and healthier if they're not watered as they have to put their roots down further and pull nutrients from the soil. He weeds as normal but never seems to get many as the soil is dry on the surface. Also he doesn't get blight or other diseases, he says because of the lack of surface water. No slugs either same reason. He does mulch his bean roots though with compost.
Tomatoes and other "greenhouse" plants are not included in his theory as he says he always grows these behind glass.
Last year, my club set up an experiement where we stocked 2 beds the same and planned to water one as normal and not the other. Still weeding them both the same. Unfortuneately the rain was so persistant last year that no artificial watering took place on either bed!
We're going to do the same this year and wondered if anyone fancied giving it a go.
Rules are simple. 1. water plants, tubers, seeds in until established. 2. Weed, prune and harvest as normal. 3 check your end results against artificially watered plants.
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