Help me understand vegetable water needs

I am amazingly prone to forgetting to do gardening tasks. This is a big reason I buried a bunch of wood under my garden beds. I heard that it would basically let me not have to water. That way I could grow vegetables without them just dying.

Obviously things are not so simplistic, but so far I find that my plants basically grow in the hugel beds without watering them, at least after they get established.

I live in a pretty wet climate, but right now it's winter and it's very dry. Nevertheless my plants don't seem to really care that I'm not watering them in terms of survival.

But how much can watering encourage growth?

Would I be getting much more measurable growth out of my hugel beds in the winter season if I was watering them at least occasionally?

I really don't have a frame of reference as this is my first garden, and it is... in the shadow of my house in the winter. So I wonder if my poor growth rate can all be attributed to the winter season, or if some of it is water, or fertility, or a complex mix of all. That last one is usually the right answer isn't it...

Anyway, they clearly get enough water to survive. Do they want more? Should I only water if they're wilting?

I know some plants, like tomatoes, don't produce as good flavor if you over water them... how much is that true for things like cabbage, chinese cabbage, daikon, komatsuna, and even lettuce?

I also know some plants will bolt if they are stressed for water. I think that's what happened to two of my chinese cabbage in my green house.

I would appreciate sage wisdom on watering and growth, flavor, bolting, and other things I have no clue about and thus can't ask directly.

I think there is going to be a lot of variation depending on what plants you have and how warm it is during the winter. If it's dry and cold, like below 40F, the plants are probably dormant and you don't want to water plants that's are dormant. If you stick your finger in the soil and it feels damp, the plants are probably fine. If it's bone dry and above 40F, you probably want to water.

But there is a lot of variation with plants. Cactuses are going to have different needs than a deciduous fruit bush or an evergreen bush, etc.  

Like Jenny said, too many variables.

The thing is that mother nature has given plants a tool to tell you when they need water.

This tool is called "wilting".

I like to water before that tool is used but I also want to develop what is known as drought-tolerant plants so I use that tool.

So it seems like plant dormancy is mostly temperature based. I guess that's why trees sometimes bud in an untimely warm streak in the winter. I confess to not really understanding it very well.

It's so much warmer here than where I grew up that year round growing is basically the norm here. I didn't know anyone with a winter garden when I was living in the US. But, I do know the winter garden season is slower here than the warmer seasons.

It happens that were getting a very full soak of rain today, so we'll see what the plants think of that.

Here's another tip when it comes to watering. You can always add more water but if you overwater, you personally can't remove the extra water from the soil. So you can always water a little bit and watch your plants- if they perk up and look happier but still not 100%, then you can add a little more water. But if you water a little bit and the plant looks worse or no change, then you don't add any more water. Pay attention to what the soil looks and feels like when the plant is its healthiest, how wet or dry it is.

And now that you have some rain, observe what your plants are doing and how they change after the rain.

Please note, my watering advice does not apply to extreme heat in the summer. That's a whole different discussion. 😁

L. Johnson wrote:I know some plants, like tomatoes, don't produce as good flavor if you over water them... how much is that true for things like cabbage, chinese cabbage, daikon, komatsuna, and even lettuce?

And some plants, like arugula / rocket, taste a lot worse if they are suffering from water stress!

Another important part (since you're in a similar climate to mine) is to be very aware of what happens when there is too much water- I get major mildew problems on certain kinds of plants (beans, zinnias, sunflowers, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash), and once the mold appears I want to make certain that they get watered from below as often as possible rather than splashing mold off their leaves and contaminating everything else. Those get preference to be planted on top of a hugel or for bottom watering (drip, bottle, olla, whatever).
I also find that the yard has microclimates- rosemary, which likes to be dry, often dies in one corner but does fine elsewhere. Lovage seems to be the opposite, and I killed a lot of comfrey before finding that it's okay with getting wet.
If you have places that get standing water, plant things that can take it-- I have a bed that gets soaked when my cistern overflows, and i planted it with indigo and bananas and lemongrass. They are very, very happy right now.