"Plants prefer getting water in drips rather than all at once." Someone posted this, but I wonder what they base it on? Since rain doesn't come in drips, I would think that plants are pretty used to getting water "all at once." But there are almost as many ways to garden as there are gardeners. What I always look at is "the bottom line," meaning input- in materials, time, and labor- Vs output, meaning how much you get from your garden. I use those black soaker hoses under my grass clipping mulch to water. I spliced in sections of regular hose- with those "clamshell" repair kits- to keep from wasting water between plants. I also have used a "wire shelf" trellis for my tomatoes, bell peppers, and eggplants for about five years now. it consists of four posts with "shelves" of wire fencing attached at about 1 1/2 foot intervals, on the 8-foot tomato trellis. The ones for the peppers and eggplants are much smaller. The advantages are: 1. It eliminates the tiresome chore of tying up vines. 2. I've had no vines break in wind storms, on any of the crops, since I started using this. 3. Increased yields because of increased photosynthesis. The foliage is never moved, so it stays in the natural position it grows. That maximizes the sun exposure of each leaf, resulting in the optimum rate of photosynthesis. I routinely get over 500 full-sized tomatoes per plant, and last year got 85 and 92 bell peppers respectively from my two plants. This year, though, as everyone knows, hasn't been a good weather year for gardening, probably the worst since I started in 1972. I just started posting here, and I am "puter challenged" to say the least. But if I can figure out how to post pictures, I'll put one on of my 8-foot mater last year.

when I was growing one plant in a DWC it started using up about a gallon a week once it got some size to it, so 20 plants would be 20 gallons a week or almost 3 gallons a day. I'd have expected probably 10 gallons a day from what you've listed. Plus, you're growing outside in Florida. My gallon a week plant was growing in an office window this fall in North Carolina. So I wouldn't think 15 gallons a day is too off the charts.

Wow, wow, wow, Larry, I love your ideas! I do hope you keep us updated on them as you work through whatever issues pop up. I, too, want to keep a "permanent" mulch cover but still be able to grow cover crops. And I'm trying to go as no-till as possible. I don't want to have extra equipment to keep up and, eventually, I'll get older and not want to manhandle a tiller. We're only in our 40s but time sure flies so we're trying to look far, far down the road. Do the work now, enjoy the ease later on. Carol, those are cool! I'd not seen those before. This year, we're on a shoestring budget (like most of our lives LOL) so I didn't want to add anything to the purchase list that we didn't absolutely need. (We only had to buy Quikrete and the nylon cord. Everything else, we had on hand.) I was going to spend this winter clip shopping and seeing what was out there. In the back of my mind, I was debating between those little velcro ties and a different type I had seen -- both of which are more expensive, at least where I've seen them. But those clips you linked? Cheap! And, if you say they work good, I'm pretty sold. Diane

Daniel, yw. Yes, I do use fertilizers. In this case, I fertilized at transplant, switched to an organic tomato specific fertilizer just before flowering, and one more light application at fruit set. I grow in a loamy clay, and except for being naturally low in N, fortunately the ground here is pretty fertile. I could have fertilized again, but my yields were fine enough for me, and I'm not one to spend resources without worthwhile returns. Same with water. I could be watering, and the day after those pics I went ahead and watered, but only just enough. Watering costs money and time. I already got my harvest, whatever more I get is above and beyond. I'll water again when absolutely necessary, but that's all. In fact, if we don't get the rain that they say may happen tomorrow or Monday, I'll need to water again in a day or 2. As for fungicides.. I use no 'cides at all. No fungicides, no herbicides, no insecticides. Just my fingers and whatever beneficial insects I can keep around. My plants are indeed ugly lol, but they serve my needs with plenty to spare. You ask when we know we need to water... I could go into detail, but I'll just say... it's an art based upon experiences; recommendations proven by experience; and knowing the cycles, needs of specific crops, and the signs and symptoms of those crops;... as well as knowing the ground in which they are planted. At this time of year, the tomatoes have already offered their main crop, but I still have peppers thriving. So, since peppers are generally more drought tolerant than tomatoes, and they handle neglect fairly well, I watch the pepper plants. When the peppers start to show signs of wilt (not actual stress, that will cause leaf-drop,) you know for sure that it's time to water the tomatoes. The finger test works fairly well early in the year, just gotta make sure you go deep enough. But at this time of year, the roots have been as deep as they were going to get for a while now, and I could care less if I get more top growth. Deep watering now is fine, and it will offer a reserve, but it's not as necessary. You'd have to be in a serious drought for the deep soil to dry out enough to warrant the same deep watering as earlier in the season that was beneficial to encourage a good root system. I might re-post with more specifics about knowing when to water, but I have a tendency to drone on... be gone with me!...