Mulch where you can- around where seeds are planted. Mulch is key to maintaining moisture levels, as well as reducing weeds. I threw just a little finely shredded leaves etc. over the seeded areas in my garden- just a bit won't inhibit seeds, but will help some with moisture.

General rules of watering- the ground must remain fairly moist around seeds/ very small seedlings. If you grab some soil and squeeze it and it stays in a ball- then it has enough water. Plants that show any stress- water them. Again- mulch it up as much as you can now.

It sounds like your plants are doing well- that's good. It does sound like you may be wasting water, but raised beds drain so that plants will probably be fine no matter what you do short of continuously soaking them. I watered maybe 5 -8 times all of last summer- but I use heavy mulching and probably get less sun than you.

I find that weeds grow in my compost when I use it as a mulch.

Thank you Pablo, I do find that weeds grow in my compost also. I already used all my finished compost to build the beds. I made more beds than I planned on, lol. So I will probably be using newspaper and compost or leaves on top. I have wood chips from the city coming in too. Could I mix the wood chips with compost and mulch with that? Any ideas? This is only my 4th year gardening, I love it!

Put down compost, then wood chips or shredded leaves etc on top. Some compost forms a crust that doesn't wet very well, and as we agree- weed seeds will germinate in it. The seeds aren't just in the soil now- but any that blow onto the bed will germinate on exposed compost.

An important thing to remember: don't water when things 'look' dry, but when they FEEL dry. The appearance of the very top of your soil can be very deceiving.

If you are going to plant seeds (that need to stay damp) next to bigger plants, that don't need to stay damp, I'd water with a hose, or something able to 'spot' water. Or you might drown the bigger plants.

I have found that wood chips take too much nitrogen out of the soil. I put compost and then straw.. works really great in the summer.

What was the soil under those raised beds?
To determine whether the soil in your raised beds need water poke your index finger into that soil to the first knuckle, that is about 1-1/2 to 2 inches deep, and look to see of the soil is dry at that depth. If it is then it is time to water, if the soil is moist to that depth, the soil has adequate moisture reserves for the plants and does not need more water, yet.

The wood chips would be better put into your compost pile, or used around trees or shrubs. Vegetables don't really like wood mulches, and fresh wood chips aren't really good as mulch for anything - they are acidic and use up nitrogen until aged. Better around veggies would be compost, straw, grass clippings - dry them a bit first as they can pack down, become anaerobic, stink, and shed water if used thickly when green and fresh - leaves, etc., etc.

If you can dig down into your soil, then if it is still wet/damp down about 1-2 in. - and you don't have seedlings in there - then I would wait to water - you want to encourage nice sturdy, far reaching root systems. If you have seeds or seedlings, then you HAVE to keep the area around them moist. Most veggies will transplant, so it might be better to sow seeds in a "nursery bed" section that you can keep an eye on and water as needed and transplant them to where you want when they are bigger - still keep an eye on watering them for another week or three. You CAN sow them where you want them, but, Heathen said, you need to hand water there, daily, and maybe more often if it's very hot or windy.

So much good info.. thanks for sharing all. Here's something that has worked well for me. I run 2 "farmers" drip tapes down my 3ft wide garden boxes. This tape is inexpensive - 6 cents a foot and I throw it away at the end of the season. I've only found it at the local AG center. It is very quick and easy to connect and lies flat and straight without pinning down.

These lines attach to a section of regular black irrigation line which is permanently anchored across the width of the box at one end and connected to a hose bib. The connectors (the adjustable type sold for that tape) allow for the exact amount of water needed to that particular line by using a screw driver in a little slot to make the adjustment. So for beds that have established plants and perhaps a row of seedlings one can make the appropriate adjustments for the exact amount of water needed, ie wide open for the seedlings - less for the mature plants. I've set my beds up with timers too and bird (heavier type) netting around the sides (about 24 inches high) attached to round metal stakes (in case of a wandering rabbit or chicken or whatever. I can throw a shade cloth over the whole thing easily too.

Also I've found the narrower beds easier on my back to work in by the way. I've tried a number of different drip systems and this is the best I've come up with for this hot dry area. If you try it be sure to have the little holes "up" so that they can dry out between waterings.

I'm trying to cover all the bases but there will be something else I'm sure.....
Can I go on vacation now please!!!!;)