I just make sure they get at least an inch a week. If it rains that much , great. If I water them and it rains for the next 3 days, so be it. I won't wait around for rain that may never come. I water overhead with 2 oscillating sprinklers. I like to see a large pool of water around each plant after watering. A lot of people will not water overhead, but that's how mother nature does it, and it works for me.

That said, we have had so much rain here that I've only watered once since planting on May 22.

This post was edited by DBrown2351 on Wed, Jun 25, 14 at 20:43

I also water overhead, So far I only watered by hand twice, We had a good rain fall so far this year, It has been hot and we need rain again and luckly it is raining now, Good timing.

Watering depend on temperature and the amount of direct sun. In my PNW climate once a week is enough. If we get heat wave and no rain then twice a week. With pots I normally do twice a week.

About Rain: I would not depend on the forecast. I have rain gauge . If it rains more than an inch I would skip watering.

1 inch of rain = ~7.7 gallons of water, for the most part.

I use 4 gph sprayers, if no rain I run them for 2hrs, giving me 8 gallons over the radius.

I do put out a container to measure rain when we get it. This spring we had a good amount of rain, but from this point on, we get more gray cover, with afternoon pop up showers that are hit or miss interspersed with sunny days.

Yay, we did get a downpour in the night and are expecting a little more today. But I wasnâÂÂt sure from the forecast, I would get it, so I watered all my vegetable beds yesterday. Oh well. So I canâÂÂt help but feel they got a little too much water this week. Although I have raised beds 12â off the ground, so I think that helps.

I try not to water overhead even though I realize mother nature waters overhead, I canâÂÂt help but wonder if the chlorine in our city water, which seems to be on the increase every year, might have a negative effect on plants. I am trying to use soaker hoses, but I think my water pressure is not high enough to get the water to travel through multiple connected hoses, so IâÂÂm having to water one or two beds out of five, at a time at the moment and IâÂÂm doing it that way.

Seysonn, thanks for the reminder, that temperature and amount of sunlight make a lot of difference. I have no problem skipping watering âÂÂafterâ IâÂÂve had rain. ItâÂÂs waiting for rain to come and not getting it, that I then have to finally decide to water and then it rains. [g]

MoleX, what is a gph sprayer? That is good to know that it takes 7.7 gallons of water to equal one inch of rain. So if I had a shrub that needed water and it didnâÂÂt rain one week, I would have to pour a 5 gallon container of water around the base and another half of that to give it the one inch of rain?

Do you all water by schedule or do you actually check the soil before you water to see how moist or dry it is?

Do you all water by schedule or do you actually check the soil before you water to see how moist or dry it is?
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I check the soil and look at the plants. I also am outdoors a lot of the time and know how the weather has affected me and how it will likely affect the plants. Wind, humidity, sun intensity, clouds, plant size, plant type, shade patterns, etc., as well as rain affect soil moisture. A schedule doesn't work for my garden watering.

agreeing with sey....where I live it does not rain April-October. That makes it a no-brainer. As was stated...container watering is much more frequent.

Check the soil before you water. A very unscientific method: stick your finger in. If it's dry about 2-3 inches down, the plants need water. If possible, water at the soil line. This prevents splashing -- which helps prevent the spread of fungi and bacteria that live in the soil. More helpful info: http://www.tomatodirt.com/watering-tomatoes-faqs.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Watering Tomatoes FAQs

Once again i t seems to be experience and knowing you climate and soil...
During the early season getting plant growth, i don't mind a bit of drying out...
Too dry in July with extreme heat is problematic as fruit is setting, then massive rain...
'don't let it dry in July'... keep on it when very hot. I give deep soaks and back off a couple days.
I go ahead and pick small pears and sun golds formed beyond blush because they will split in a good rain...best to ripen on the kitchen counter....

1 inch of rain = ~7.7 gallons of water, for the most part.
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not that much.

One inch of rain is about 1/2 gallon per square foot. So if a tomato root is spread under 2ft by 2ft area( = 4 sqr-ft) then it will get about 2 gallons of water. That is enough to skip watering.
Example:
I Have 3ft by 6ft raised beds (18 sqr-ft). If I water it 1" that will be almost 9 gallons. With a shower head hose (4 gpm flow rate) it takes 2 minutes. That is perfect to me.

I do see what you are saying, Naturegirl, if you are outdoors a lot, you do get a feel for what the plants are experiencing. IâÂÂm not out there as much as I would like, so that doesnâÂÂt usually help me much.

Fireduck, we get rain, just that when rain is forecast, 8 out of 10 times, the forecast is for scattered showers in the afternoon. ItâÂÂs very hit or miss, so I almost have to ignore the forecast. Which I guess works for me most of the time, but sometimes I get caught having just watered before rain.

Kathy, thanks for the link, IâÂÂll check those out. I do check the soil with my finger but unless it is totally bone dry, I can usually detect some moisture. So I guess itâÂÂs a question of degree.

Sleevendog, That is part of my problem this year, that I had to purchase soil for new raised beds, so I have half my beds filled with my own soil from the old garden beds, that has been organically managed for years and half the garden beds are filled with organic native soil that is not as high in organic matter and drains differently than what IâÂÂve been growing in for years.

So you pick the cherry tomatoes that are almost ripe before a heavy rain is forecast, so they wonâÂÂt split? If tomatoes split, you can still eat them right? Is it just cosmetic?

Seysonn, do they show the âÂÂgallon per minuteâ flow on the tag when you buy your hose nozzle, or are you just determining that yourself by timing how long it takes to fill a container?

You can pick your tomatoes as soon as they begin to change color. This prevents the water-caused splitting, prevents the flavor from being "watered down", and also removes the fruit from the possibility of being eaten by hornworms, damaged by bird pecks, or stolen by squirrels or raccoons.

And picking after the color "breaks" does not affect the flavor.

That's interesting MTObvious, I guess in my mind, I've always thought that the tasteless tomatoes I buy in the store, are tasteless because they have not been allowed to ripen on the vine. So it would surprise me that picking early would not affect the flavor. Don't the commercial growers wait and pick 'after the color breaks'?

most experts agree that the taste of tomatoes is not affected if you wait at least until they are turning red. On watering...lots of good conversation here. Predicting weather for your summer rains is a slippery slope....huh? No answer for that one. As for how damp is your soil??? I always advise gardeners to make a small investment (10?) in a moisture meter probe. They really do work.

"...half the garden beds are filled with organic native soil that is not as high in organic matter and drains differently than what IâÂÂve been growing in for years..."
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I am dealing with the same. Two new tomato beds. Both have been covered and never planted before. One was a garden path so very compacted...took some work but ended up with a mounded row. We shall see. Nice experiment/experience though. So far...

A few varieties i always pick a bit early. Especially those that have spilt in the past.
Once a split happens, besides the pests mentioned above, they deteriorate quickly...within the hour. Edible, sure, but looses flavor. Especially in the small varieties. I grow yellow pear because it does so well for me. The one i always pick early...not green but slightly yellow firm. And a variety that looses flavor if ripened to the traditional 'ripe-n-ready'. Firm ripe i should say. Love it tart and lemony sweet.

As mentioned, early pick, counter ripened, does not affect flavor. I don'y have my notes with me, but one, maybe CaspianPink, turns mealy if ripened on the vine...no longer grow it for other reasons, but maybe it was to hard to judge its perfect time?

Fireduck, thatâÂÂs a good suggestion for the moisture meter if they really work. And theyâÂÂre not that expensive, right? I could try that.

Sleevendog, So far the tomatoes are doing well in the new soil although a little late getting started. I think after a couple of years of adding some organic matter and cover cropping here and there, they will be draining better. The mulch is helping to slow down the water in two beds, but one bed that I was doing an experiment with underplanting peppers with alyssum even with a soaker hose, the water is just puddling on the top of the soil and IâÂÂm not used to that at all. My soil I can stand there with the shower nozzle going full speed and the water never puddles.

IâÂÂm growing Sungold for a cherry, a few Champion, a Fourth of July, Church, SanMarzano for a paste and a Moskevich.

Okay, so thanks for the info about what happens when the tomatoes split. IâÂÂm going to try everyone's suggestion to pick earlier this year to avoid the splitting. Sungold definitely splits. I donâÂÂt know about the others, first time growing them.

that 7.7 gallon number comes from Dr. Linda Chalker Scott, take it for you will.

GPH is short for gallons per hour, I have irrigation emitters that do various amount of water over time, some are 2 gph drippers, some 4gph sprayers, some 6 gph mini-sprinklers.

Seysonn, do they show the âÂÂgallon per minuteâ flow on the tag when you buy your hose nozzle, or are you just determining that yourself by timing how long it takes to fill a container?
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No , they dont. It (flow in gpm = gallons per minute) would depend on your water pressure and the valve, hose length. You can measure it yourself. It is simple. Take a 5 gal. bucket and time while filling it. Your watch has to have seconds hand.

Rain Conversion To Gallons:

There is 231 cu-inches to gallon.
If it rains 1 inch you will get 144 cu-inch per square foot ( 12x12x1 =144) That is 0.62 gal/sqr-ft. Little more than half a gallon I said before.

My two extra beds are a bit of a bonus. My starts did better than most years past. I'm content if they don't do well.
You do get the same storm patterns as we do...just a 1/2 day later or so. As you know, we get some very dry heat days and often a massive storm tossed in once a week. Seems perfect, but hard to deal with the splits.
If a storm pattern has a pause, without lightning, i'll go out and harvest check and pick....and always first thing in the morning after a storm...anything close to ripe gets pulled to avoid the splits asap....but i always miss a few....so i know what happens to good flavor overripe and split.

Nothing like a big bowl of blush toms on the counter, many varieties...near ready get lined up in a row not touching...i even built a raised tomato shelf to enjoy the process...
Tarts like thyme or tarragon with seafood, red sweets like being parred with basil or tarragon with steaks or grilled lamb, etc...endless cooking possibilities.
Oxhearts, all of them, and by far our favorites, make the best meaty BLT's....or just a veggie big slice with an avocado...over spicy baby greens, (yum).
Looking forward to the harvest...

I'm lazy. I set up a soaker hose system on a timer. I have it go for an hour four times a week, first thing in the morning so there isn't much evaporation. If late in the afternoon the plants look stressed, I give them another hour.