Thanks for the link. Dang, 3 days I have to wait. I am going to lose alot of production. Thinking back, I probably should not have sprayed them as the plants wont make it much longer with this hear anyways.

This is our first year with a "real" garden (we've always just done half-barrels in the past) and I'm not sure if we have a problem going on or not.

I had tilled up the area 2 weekends and was going to do the rest of the prep work and planting on it this past weekend, but my wife got trigger happy and planted it while I was at work. When she planted, she didn't really make clean rows (heck, she didn't trench any rows at all!) nor did she heed caution in regards to planting depth. It was kind of an organized chaos free-for-all.

Anyway, this past weekend I got in there and trenched the rows as best I could. I also had to uncover some of the soil around each plant because I THINK they were planted too deep, with the exception of the tomatoes.

Long story short, the garden now looks a bit more official but I still have a few finishing touches to do. My worry is that all of the plants, except for the cabbage plants in the upper-left, are all kind of droopy/wilted. They haven't perked up since my wife took them out of their plastic containers. The 'maters are my ultimate concern as I believe the squash and cucumbers are starting to look better. I haven't noticed any change in the 'maters.

Does it look like I did anything incorrect or is there anything I can do to remedy the situation? Oh, and the watering system is done by irrigation from the canal. 1 minute watering at 8a and 8p. 3 minute watering at 12p and 4p. The ground pretty much stays saturated so I'm not sure if I could possibly be overwatering.

.5 inches of water per week is all the plants need until they start producing...

I'm having to put down more water than that. This wind is killing me.

I have not taken time to read this whole thread and probably won't go back and read it...

but do any of you boys/gals use drip fertigation?

Do I need to worry about trying to keep the top moist or should I only be concerned with moisture levels down near the roots?

Roots are the most important...too much water can cause root rot.

Your plants should also be quite a bit larger. We are in Texas, he is in Colorado. When we first start, .5 inch is more than enough. We have to adjust according to the plant and conditions.

Thanks LSS. I'll cut off the irrigation system, let it dry up a little bit, and take care of watering manually. Hopefully they will start perking up.

Yes they are. Some of my tomatoes are three feet tall. My zucchini was flopping around like elephant ears from all this dang wind.

Yeah, it's a slow start here. We had a hard freeze less than a month ago. We have had maybe 3 days above 80 degrees. Today's high is only 66. HA! Next week should start the steady 80's, though.

I know what you mean...the wind is bad today...and yesterday.

I'm not using drip irrigation this year but I've used it previously with good results. I suspended the main line over the plants then ran the smaller tubing with the dripper down and secured it at the plant base. That gave me room to hoe around the plants without a bunch of hoses in the way.

With all the hot wind the last few years I've switched to heavy mulch and gallon jugs ( with holes in the bottom ) buried near each plant. Same principle but you don't have to worry about the water drying before it reaches the roots.

I still use the drip in the flower beds. You can bury the main line under the mulch and run individual drippers to large plants like azaleas or hydrangeas . I use the mini soaker hoses around ferns . Make sure you get a pressure regulator with your drip system . Normal water pressure can blow the drippers off of their hoses.

Cute kiddos, niiiiiice berries ! Mine aren't even red yet. At least ( Lord willing) I'll have berries this year . Dang late freezes took out all the plums and peaches.