You don't mention your soil. When I lived at 33 Ave. and Rivera in the Parkside, the native soil was sand and impossible to over water. You are probably giving them more water than they need, but with your drainage, no harm will be done. Al

I prefer soaker hoses and use only this method to water. It varies with the vegetables that are grown. Things like melons and cucumbers need a LOT of water, so I usually water these everyt day or two. The rest can get waterings about every 5-6 days, unless it rains for a few hours. Tomatoes and peppers usually don't need too much waterings, and neither do peas and beans. Its also dependent on the heat of the day, the kind of soil and many other variables that can factor in as to the amount of watering. A soaker hose helps to reduce diseases on the leaves of some plants. I have b=nearby blueberry bushes that see no waterings at all, as they have a natral oak leaf mulch that they grow in. This acts like a nice moisture barrier. The rest of my gardn has a black fabric mulch that alos helps to hold in moisture and reduces weeds.

That PLs are usually found in riparian settings (streamside or in boggy environments) where they naturally occur is absolutely no cause to believe they will do well in boggy soils. They adapt well to various types of water culture, and perform very well in fast-draining, well-aerated soils, but should be expected to perform poorly when asked to make the transition in soils from lengthy periods of significant saturation to times when the soil has dried down and become reasonably well-aerated and more hospitable to the plant. The reason, as has been pointed out, is the fact that the plant will grow roots structured to allow the plant to deal with one or the other set of conditions, but not both in a cycle that starts with a long period of saturation transitioning to the more appropriate moist (rather than wet or soggy) medium. How well a soil drains is determined almost exclusively by the size of the particles it is comprised of. While the arrangement you have with the pot sitting above the effluent in the collection saucer is commendable, it has no impact on how well the soil drains or its level of aeration. 1. How often should I water? Intervals will vary with season, light load, amount of air movement, ....... Unless you use a soil that allows watering on a schedule as opposed to on an 'as needed' basis, and yours doesn't, you should absolutely stick to watering only when the plant gets dry to the point it needs water. In fact, in spite of the stress it would create, it would actually be better if you waited for this plant to exhibit signs of the first stage of wilt before you water than to water before the plant need it. I'm not advocating using drought stress indicators to signal the plants need for water - just trying to establish a feel for the idea that a little under-watering is less limiting than over-watering. For this plant, marking your watering date on the calendar and OCCASIONALLY waiting for the first signs of wilt to establish appropriate intervals between waterings is a reasonable strategy. If you'd rather, buy a wooden birch dowel rod (1/4 or 5/16") from a hardware or big box store. Cut into appropriate length pieces for your plants, sharpen the ends with a pencil sharpener, and use the pieces stuck deep into the pot as 'tells' that will let you know the moisture conditions deep in the pot. If they come out wet or stained dark from wet soil, withhold water until they come out clean. MUCH better than "watering gauges/meters". 2. What else can I do for this plant? The answer to that could easily fill a book. You could try reading this (click on link). I read someplace that liquid fertilizer once a month is good too. Yay or nay on that? To be meaningful, any advice regarding frequency of fertilizer applications has to take into consideration your soil choice and watering habits. For example, if you water in small sips to avoid your MG soil remaining soggy too long, a one month interval at the regular rate is an automatic problem for more than one reason, and the type of fertilizer as well as its NPK %s both play a part in determining the criticality of the issue. If you're using a soil that allows you to water at will w/o the need to fear consequences centering on the fact the soil will be saturated for a length of time measured in weeks, you can actually fertilize at low doses every time you water, which is how I choose to fertilize all my plants during the winter. One type of soil (those that are very water-retentive, like yours) make it almost impossible to maintain control over effective nutritional supplementation; other types of soil that support little or no saturation make establishing and maintaining a sound supplementation program monkey easy. Al

Did you stratify the seeds in your fridge for a few weeks prior to planting in a warm, sunny location? Or on a heat mat under lights? Did you sprinkle a tiny layer of medium on top of the seeds, allowing for the sunlight to penetrate? They require sunlight in order to germinate. If the proper steps aren't taken, the seeds may rot before they get a chance to germinate. You may have done everything just right but since you didn't mention it, I thought I would. Seeds and new seedlings are best watered by misting the soil when the surface becomes a bit dry.