timer and drip is the way to go.

I use drip, plus a 4-zone timer... plus an EZ-Gro fertilizer injector... waters daily at the same time unless it rains, can set up multiple waterings per day, every day, every other day, only certain days, etc, add additional time by % when it's hotter, etc. Plus the fertilizer injector fertilizes everytime it waters... can set it for very tiny amounts up to heavy fertilizing... I think something like as little as 1 gallon of fertilizer mix for every 1000 or 10000 gallons of water, depending on model. I usually have 60-80 maters (plus 40-45 peppers, numerous onions/garlic, strawberry patch, pumpkin patch, 40-80 corn, herbs, etc....)

If you don't want to get that advanced, see the 1/4" Patio kit pic I posted in the thread "Do I blame my Husband?" on the first page. It has a battery operated timer. I bought a couple extras, $35 delivered, does up to 20 plants but you can expand most systems. You can even get a very basic kit for under $10 without a timer.

Hope this helps.

Mark

My preference is soak hoses. I have a

I do not use a timer, being retired I can be the timer. To open the faucets about a quarter to half turn and let them run for about an hour or hour and a half, two or three times per week (depending on how hot and dry it is) allows me to soak the rows deep. I have a simple metal rod probe that I can tell about how deep the moisture is and when I need to water.

I just started mulching with some excellent left over {{gwi:56494}}, but will go ahead and add a two or three inch thick layer of shredded oak leaves. The mulch helps a lot in keeping down any weeds and grass while conserving moisture and keeping the soil temperature more constant.

That has carried me thru a number of years, the last two had near record heat and droughts.
Bill P.

I placed a large plastic (formerly a juice) container at the base of each plant. When nature doesn't provide water I simply fill the containers and the water goes right to the roots via the holes I made at the bottom of the conatiners. Cheap and easy, with minimal waste.

Driptape is relatively inexpensive and disposable (Recyclable)after a seasons use. The slow deliberate drip emitters allow water to soak into root zone rather than run off the surface or evaporate to a greater extent.

When you mention timers you not only start into big expenses but potential for failure. Also they never take weather into account unless you have the really expensive models. Be sure that before you even consider all the extras that you have a filtered water supply. Any particulate matter in the water lines will ruin all the guages, controls and injectors. It will also block soaker hoses and even drip tape over time. In addition to the filter a few other cheap suggestions are backflow preventers and pressure regulators. These add a degree of safety to your setup and home drinking supply.

Tomatoes are relatively water sensative. BER in your first few sets of fruit can be frustrating as well as cracked fruit. By monitoring moisture and keeping plants "Happy" thru the season you will notice dividends.

i use soaker hoses on a timer, 750 ft worth! up one row and down the next. all the soakers are hooked to 1 timer, the sprinkler hoses on my greens and melons are hooked to another timer. my only problem is my well has been getting air in it and the release of pressure has blown out a couple of hoses! but that is what good electrical tape is for.

just do some testing to see how much and how often you should water. i set mine to run for 2 hours every 3rd day. this soaks them good, and does not water again until the ground is dry down to about 6 inches. i don't have to worry about backflow, as the well is for irrigation only.

I am using soaker hoses on a timer. It is a 2 zone battery powered hose timer. The hoses have a washer with a tiny hole in it inside the hose, so they are low pressure. I set mine to water for 15 minutes every 6 hours during dry weather. If it gets too wet I cut back to every 8 hours. The amount to water really is trial and error but once you get it set it is consistent.