I only have one box, so I just take my hose with a nozel and get down and water each plant individually

Half of my garden is in an area that gets watered nightly by our lawn sprinklers, the other half I use the spray nozzle on my hose and water each plant.

I'm getting a drip irrigation system set up right now. The past month I've been watering with a gentle hose attachment. I spray the boxes evenly except for my tomatoes where I get in closer so I don't get their leaves wet. I also don't get the leaves of my eggplant wet. I'm not growing any peppers, but I'd do the same technique for them.

Everything else is simply seedlings and I think they like to get wet? They seem to be growing well! I do have to water once or twice daily now that the temps are close to 100 every day.

I have 120 gallons of rainwater storage, and use it exclusively on my garden. I take (8) 1 gallon plastic milk jugs that I saved, and fill them up. I then take a cheap, plastic (1 cup, or 8 oz.) measuring cup and pour the contents of the jugs into the measuring cup until it is full. Since my plants have a saucer shaped depression around them in the mel's mix, it creates a puddle around the plant. I usually apply 2 cups of water to each plant, right at the stem - every 3 to 4 days. Of course, anything in a container gets watered a little more frequently. I use miracle grow every 14 days. I really enjoy watering with this method, because it gives me time to inspect everything as I do this. I have found an alarming amount of harmful pests while doing this. I hope this helps.

I overhead water all the time with a mist feature on my spray nosel. I sure hope it's not bad.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sinfonian's garden adventure

I've been using a watering can due to drought-necessitated water restrictions. However, during the heat wave, I used the hose, with a low-flow water distributor (NOT a nozzle, but I don't know its proper name) and watered the bases of the plants. I tried very hard not to get the leaves wet.

I hand water each of my plants using a 1 cup measuring cup. Like engineeredgarden's post above, I have made saucer-like depressions around all the plants, so the water can sit and absorb quickly. Due to the heat and lack of humidity out here in CO, I water almost every day - each plant gets a cup of water daily. I have installed drip irrigation for those days that i'll be gone on business or vacaction. I have tested it and the plants seems to be getting enough with a 30 minute drip in the mornings.

I water daily, (and twice daily on especially hot days), with a pistol-grip-nozzled water hose. I like engineeredgarden's watering idea, and I may adopt it. My current watering gives the same amount of water to each plant in the bed. I would like tomatoes and beets to get more water, and cilantro to get less.

I have another concern about the watering. The other day I was reading a book by Ed Smith about self-watering containers, and in that he mentions a tomato plant requires a gallon of water per day, and I don't know how this is feasible in SFG. What are other peoples' experiences on this? Do you increase the amount/frequency of watering when the plants get bigger?

Thanks.

njmallu - one thing i've figured out is that vegetables have different watering needs. I was watering everything the same when I started the garden, then noticed that the zucchini was suffering quite a bit. I also pay close attention to the plant's leaves, to tell me if they need water or not. A tomato plant's leaves should be very green, and if they are turning yellow - it's getting too much water. Also, too much water will make the tomatoes split open. Consistent, correct watering is how to eliminate blossom end rot. In my opinion, anything that vines can take alot of water as long as the vines are running, but should be closely watched when fruit emerges. But, again....the key to the whole picture is watching the color of the leaves.

EG: Thanks for the info. (So far all my tomato plants seem to be green-leaved.)

This watering thing still confuses me. LOL What makes me wonder is if you only water right by the stem, how does that get water out to the roots that are rooting around and growing as the plant grows. Especially when they only have 6-10 of soil below them? At some point, they start growing OUT.

I was doing mel's watering the first month. Poured lovingly and gently from a ladle, a cup at a time, to each plant, every 3 or 4 days. The plants were just not growing well. Some were looking overwatered. Some were always dried out. I think I was creating wet spots around the plants, and dry spots in between. I think I should also mention that my beds are raised with wooden bottoms, so if I just pour a cup it drips right out the bottom... so slow soaking sees to be more effective for me.

Ever since I started slowly soaking the entire bed, then letting it dry out a bit (5-7 days), the plants are thriving better. I think in such close growing circumstances---especially in what is a planter box insted of an in ground bed---it is probably better to have the overall bed uniformly moist.

Then again, we're also on a drought mandated rationing, so I may have to stop that soon and start using my buckets again.

I have been using AquaCones that I purchased from Gardener's Supply Co. They are a bit pricey but I bought them when they were on sale last year.

Since then I have come across the idea of taking a 2 liter soda bottle with the lid on, drilling holes in the lid, cutting off the bottom, then sticking lid side down into the soil. I haven't used this idea but probably will when I use up all the purchased cones.

I am using one AquaCone per 2 tomato plants and I water every other day. My tomatoes are in the ground, not in a box and they are well mulched with straw. But I am using the AquaCones in my grow boxes with the cucumbers, cantaloup, zucchini, spaghetti squash, basil and lettuce. The foliage of the vine type plants stays nice and dry by me using the cones.

I really do like these cones. They make hand watering with a can a snap. I just wish they weren't so expensive.

Michelle

In my photo above I did not quite have time to post text. I use soaker hoses when I want to water everything. I then hand water separately(it is also a vacation option). The peas in the photo are drawing lots of water right now which is the case when they are producing pods. I now use a $5 moisture meter which seems to be a nice tool. Yesterday the peas were coming up dry while everything else was still quite moist.