Gjshawk, apology accepted, no harm done. Anyhow, I guess I cannot argue against this rain gutter system, as it appears to be working for people. I think though that the original poster was referring to just regular old pots, dipping them in water, and allowing capillary action to do the watering, rather than a gutter type system. But, as noted, I don't grow annual veggies in pots, as I am blessed with plenty of space, with good soil, which I've built up over the years with compost and such. My container growing consists of quite a few jades and some tropicals, plants that don't take well to excess salts or excess moisture. I've thought of doing some indoor hydroponic veggies though, but that's a topic for another time. Joe

Carolyn, if they're still in the peaty soil they came in, you should let them get fairly dry before a thorough watering. If they're still mostly dry on top, maybe you didn't put enough water? You can top water, just try not to get the leaves too wet. And drain the pots thoroughly afterwards. Never let your violets stand in water for more than 20 minutes or so. If they get waterlogged, they will get root rot and die, so it is best to transplant them into a good mix ASAP. It's difficult with peaty soil, because it does hold so much water. Check out the link below for tons of very useful info, with pics! Korina Here is a link that might be useful: Rachel's Reflections

How often to water is too variable by climate, soil/soiless mix type, whether mulch is used etc. to really answer. It is absolutely not necessary to keep all the soil moist. You say after a day of sun and wind only the top inch is dry? That's fine. Try stopping the sprinklers for awhile and figure out how many days it takes for the soil to dry to 2 inches. For established plants (any plant that has been in the bed for more than 2 weeks after transplant or 1 month or less from seed sprouting if direct sowed) I would advise allowing 2 inches of a light mix to dry before thinking about watering. If you notice any plants starting to droop a bit you can increase the frequency, but generally allowing the top couple inches to dry does plants good as they go deeper in the soil for moisture and this not only saves you water, but it makes for more adaptable plants to when the real heat comes on in a couple months. It reduces weeds a bit and is less comfortable for slugs, snails, earwigs and other moisture loving garden pests.

This was taken out of the book "Greenhouse Tomatoes, Lettuce & Cucumbers" by S.H. Wittwer & S. Honma where they recommend 'Cold Treatment' for hardening off tomato seedlings. The cold treatment should be started just as the first true leaves emerge, whether the seedlings are still in seed rows or pricked-off. Air and soil temperatures should be lowered to 52 to 56 deg F for ten days to three weeks. A ten to twelve day cold treatment is adequate during periods of good sunlight. Three weeks are usually necessary in the fall and early winter when most of the days are cloudy and plant growth is slow. The amount of cold during the ten-day to three week period is more important than the time of day in which it is given. Cold exposure during either the day or night, or both, is effective. Night temperatures of 52 to 56 deg F are recommended when the days are sunny and partly cloudy. Following the cold treatment, night temperatures should be raised to 58 to 62 deg F. Cool daytime temperatures (60 to 62 deg F) should be maintained in cloudy dull weather. On bright sunny or partly cloudy days, temperatures of 65 to 75 deg F accompanied by good ventilation are suggested. Tomato plants properly exposed to a cold treatment develop large cotyledons and thick stems, with fewer leaves formed before the first flower cluster, up to double the number of flowers in the first, and often the second clusters, and higher early and total yields.