It depends on your climate, whether you're growing in containers, etc. Where are you located? What conditions are you growing your tomatoes in?

agree that there is no way to evaluate what the needs maybe there without knowing your location. Note how it is included with all our replies. No aspect of gardening applies to all.

Dave

You water when the soil is dry, and your plant will tell you when it needs water by wilting slightly. It's going to depend on both soil structure and weather. A fixed watering schedule for anything makes absolutely no sense. Your master gardener would be more masterful teaching you how to recognize when your plants need water than teaching you how to mark your calendar to schedule watering.

Four times a week a gallon at a time sounds slightly ridiculous. In high summer for me, with 100+ temps, I'd never water that frequently. Maybe twice a week.

If a soil structure is such that it requires to be water 4 times a week, IMP that soil is not fit to grow tomatoes in it.

Sey

Sorry, thought my zone 9 showed: in the East Bay we are affected by the Marine influence but our summers are reliably 80s 90s, and sometimes briefly 100. The Master Gardener program is affiliated with the UC ( University of California) system. That said, I am hoping to be more consistent (ie systematic) with my watering this year.

Also, I amended my soil quite thoroughly and my tomatoes are planted 3 to 4 feet apart in a raised bed with a side dressing finished compost.

Before you all rip the master gardener a new one, there are several factors being ignored here. First, the comment about 4x a week is taken out of context so we don't actually know what was said, only what was understood. Those are often very different.

Second, we have no way of knowing what MK told the master gardener about their garden or how the tomatoes were being grown. Master gardeners do the best they can with the information the gardener makes available to them and with new gardeners that is often slim to none. If the MG actually visited the house and saw the garden - as many do - then he/she may still be aware of other conditions we don't know - inclines, soil tilth, bed depth, sun exposure, what is under the bed, etc.

Third, the local master gardeners have knowledge of local conditions that we don't have. Something we have no way of knowing (despite requests for at least a location). So if this is in parts of Texas or Georgia for example or in the drier air at high elevations in any of the western states or the southwest then 1 gallon of water 4x a week delivered slowly is a good way to help keep consistent soil moisture levels and help prevent BER in those climates.

Fourth, the statement " I thought tomatoes like deep soaking infrequently" can be just as inaccurate as "water 4x per week with a gallon of water" given all the unknown variables.

So all we can do here is cut the local master gardener some slack - since they may well be right - and try to discuss very general watering principles based on what little information we are given.

Dave

That's fair. I'm criticizing the interpretation of what the master gardener said. That the master gardener left this open to misinterpretation is, however, not quite masterful. But we are told specifically what the master gardener recommended, and it sounded like dumping a gallon of water on every tomato plant every two days. From the little that MK says, it sounds like his or her conditions are not out of the ordinary. Even in high heat and high altitude, I can't image a tomato needing a gallon of water four times a week. But Sey is right that if the soil is really unhealthy, I suppose it might require it. FWIW, I know someone who was in touch with a master gardener who admittedly didn't know much about vegetable gardening ...

I think the advice we should be giving MK is to take this recommendation with considerable caution and we might invite more info about his or her location and soil conditions.

The MG recommended 4x/ wk 1gal drip at a talk given specifically about planting and growing tomatoes for our area. She does not know anything about my specific site, which is direct west-facing sun for the entire day. Again, amended raised beds, heirlooms spaced 3-4 ' apart (I was considering experimenting with dry farming but have decided not to). I will mulch 4" with straw. I apologize for not being specific enough in detail far before. I do appreciate everybody's opinion. Of course my notetaking and comprehension of the material may be an issue as well!

No body is making any interpretation to say that MG was off. Here is what OP/MK wrote:

"They recommend watering four times a week a gallon per time-- frequent watering it seems to me."

---------------------------------

So in effect those who are coming out to defend the MG, are making interpretations.

I have gardened in GA, w/ days of triple digit temperatures and many days in 90's. Never had to water more than twice a week ( every third day ). Four times a week ! ! it is more often than every other day.

NOW we are just expressing our opinion here ; no more no less. In the end of the day MK has the choice to follow his MG's recommendations. But then he did choose to come here, seeking for advice.

Sey

I do about 1 gallon via drip irrigation per week per plant (.5 gallons 2x/week) - are you sure she meant 1 gallon at every watering or possibly 1 gallon total for a week (.25 gallon 4x/week)? My gallon per week is in an area with pretty much zero rain during the growing season and in a hot summer environment, so that's all the water they get and they do fine. 4 gallons seems like overkill barring some weird extreme environmental/soil issues.

Um, it still would be handy to know the site. Is this southern Arizona? (In which case your tomatoes are now practically on your roof.) Is it in Canada? (In which case your tomatoes won't even go outside for a month.) The watering strategy for those places are entirely different. When asking for almost any kind of advice here, your approximate location is the MOST IMPORTANT piece of information.

"The MG recommended 4x/ wk 1gal drip"

Then that is totally different thing than was first posted and could be perfectly normal as it all depends on the time the drip irrigation is run and the size of the drip line and emitters used. And drip watering is a totally different method of watering plants vs.
overhead, soaker hose, hand jugs, hose, or even using drip tape and has a
pretty good learning curve associated with it.

With some well-draining soils or in especially hot or dry areas, or during periods of heavy sun exposure or high heat drip lines that incorporate emitters are often run several times a week for relatively short periods of time vs. one long period per week for the express purposes of maintaining a consistent soil moisture level and preventing BER. Just ask any of the the commercial growers in Central valley California.

So drawing conclusions or making assumptions based on out-of-context or incomplete information is very often misleading if not flat out wrong

So the question for MK, other than location which is apparently a secret given the number of times it has been requested, is what method do you plan to use to water your garden? That info plus your given spacing, with even minimal soil amending, average rainfall amounts, full sun exposure, and with heavy mulching could give some guideline as to the water amount and frequency needed.

I mention Central valley because I see on your profile page you list CA so assuming that is California vs. Canada I can only add that California has over 30 different gardening zones and heat index zones all of which would require different approaches to watering.

Dave

My take is that people make mistakes, regardless of the title. When it comes to gardening "Correct" is what works for you. I know of more than one instance where persons who were failures as farmers later became educators.

daninthedirt: "That the master gardener left this open to misinterpretation is, however, not quite masterful."

Do you know any teachers? Many of my friends teach very bright people at the university level, and it's still a common occurrence for them to instruct the students on very simple things, such as the format in which to turn in assignments, both verbally in class, in writing on the syllabus, and once again in writing on an assignment handout, and a good number of the students will STILL get it wrong and claim ignorance. In short, we have no idea what the circumstances of the communication between the OP and the MG were, so we have no idea what was actually communicated, how it was communicated, and how it was received, recorded, and understood.

Do we even know whether MK's tomatoes are in the ground or in containers?

Regardless, MK, people need details of your original soil (sandy? loamy? clay?) in addition to how it's amended, your climate/location (temperature? heat? humidity? frequency of rain? strength of sun?), where your beds (if growing in beds) are situated with regard to your topography (high? low? sloping land? flat? drainage?) and a bunch of other details to give advice on watering. If you're not comfortable giving this information, then the best they can do is give generic advice to water when your soil is dry--most people suggest checking the moisture level a couple inches below the surface. But generic advice, while correct for the greatest number of people, is not necessarily the best advice for any specific person.

FYI. It seems a number of you have not read my 2 posts earlier today in which I provided more info re: plant location, soil quality, etc.

I think everyone was more interested in *your* location than plant location ;) It makes a difference in giving advice on how often to water and would make any advice someone gives much more useful for you.

Actually 3 posts today which I will summarize:

I have seven total tomato plants all planted in raised beds, spaced 3 to 4 feet apart which I plan to drip irrigate. I have amended the soil thoroughly and the plants have been side dressed with finished compost. I will mulch 4 inches with straw. The planting site is in full on Western facing sun all day. I am located in zone nine where we receive marine influence, however summers are reliably in the 80s to 90S, 100s briefly. I am trying to correct one of my perceived weaknesses as a gardener which I see is inconsistent watering of my tomato plants. That is why I am wanting a systemized watering schedule, if possible.

My location is SF East Bay!

"I have seven total tomato plants all planted in raised beds, spaced 3 to
4 feet apart which I plan to drip irrigate. I have amended the soil
thoroughly and the plants have been side dressed with finished compost.
I will mulch 4 inches with straw. The planting site is in full on
Western facing sun all day. I am located in zone nine where we receive
marine influence, however summers are reliably in the 80s to 90S, 100s
briefly."

Ok if using 1/2" drip line and 1 GPH emitters then assuming good soil drainage and no rain and temps averaging in the mid-eighties then a 60 min run of water every other day would be approx. what the master gardener recommended. Personally I would start with smaller emitters and go every third day - I prefer 1/2 GPH emitters as I believe you get better diffusion of the moisture throughout the soil. But with smaller emitters you'd have to run for 120 mins of course.

That may be a little much for young, small transplants but try that and see how it goes. But keep in mind that it is never a set schedule. You will have to make adjustments based on rainfall, air temps, cloudy days, East Bay fog banks if you are close enough to get them, the decline in mulch effectiveness as it decomposes unless replaced, and most importantly plant growth. Bigger plants need more water, rainfall reduces running time, and 90-100's increases demand especially during the heat of the day.

And every time before you turn the water on, stick your hand deep into the soil and learn to get a feel for the amount of deep soil moisture actually needed.

Hope that helps.

Dave

Now it sounds better.

Good Luck, MK !

Sey

I guess a drip line is another matter, but I'm still a little surprised it needs that much. Why would a drip line require more water than regular irrigation? I mean, I would *never* pour a gallon of water on a plant every other day in the Bay Area. That's a half an inch of water for every four square feet, then every two days. I used to garden in the South Bay. Of course, I was irrigating to add to rainfall.

MK, I'm in the North Bay. My tomatoes are planted very similar to yours but I don't have a drip system and water by hand. I will give my tomatoes about a gallon of water twice a week when I've just planted and they are growing fast-like now-and will cut back to one gallon a week or a little more when the plant starts setting fruit. Since I have several beds, I observe the plant to see if there is any wilting and then test the soil with my finger for moisture before I water. Each bed seems to dry out at a different rate. This was a difficult lesson to learn since it is hard to see your plants wilting and seemingly stressed but in the long run, less water makes better tasting tomatoes.

It may well turn out to be too much Dan but I'm just giving the master gardener the benefit of the doubt since they at least know the area and I don't. But it is just a starting point, nothing more.

Like I said, personally I'd start out at about half the rate. The biggest difference is drip delivers the gallon of water in a totally different, very narrow dispersal pattern - basically spot-on and straight down deep and at a much slower rate than pouring on a gallon of water does.

Dave

Well, I was just wondering if there was some process that made it necessary to drip-water with more water than splash/pour-water. I could imagine that if the water moves largely straight down, it may take more water to saturate a bed by drip than by splash/pour. If you're a root that doesn't have a dripper above you, you might get thirsty. Now water does spread out laterally from where it is applied, but it may still largely go straight down. Probably depends a lot on soil composition. Never thought about that before.

4 gallons a week in the east bay during the summer is probably about right. When storms go through or there's a thick marine layer, you can probably water less. Just check to make sure your plants want water & you'll be fine.

MK, your location doesn't show up in your posts. You have to include it as part of your name. I'm in AZ--4 gallons a week here for tomatoes for most of the growing season & you'd have crispy brown sticks instead of plants!

Here where I live I can sometimes go an entire month without watering at all. It is something to do only when absolutely necessary, not on a schedule.

I imagine the bay area is wet no? Or dry with the drought?

I think the question is less whether you should be spilling four gallons/week on each tomato plant, and more whether you should be doing that by the calendar. As in, four gallons per week *every* week. You simply can't water by the calendar. When it rains, you need less. When it's hot, you need more. What the master gardener could have instructed you about was how to "read" your plants, to see if they need water. I guess if you want to do hands-off, no-thinking gardening, with an automatic programmable watering system, you don't necessarily have a lot of choice (unless that system is real smart about how much it rained, and how hot it is!) You just put a lot of water on always.

I put out some peppers last Thursday, and we had rain soon afterwards. Then none after that. This afternoon those peppers appeared noticeably peaked and droopy. No fear. Just put some water on, and within 20 minutes, they're looking perky and happy. Of course, those peppers also have pretty shallow roots. That's a factor as well.

Peter: "I imagine the bay area is wet no? Or dry with the drought?"

That region has lots of different microclimates. Even submicroclimates, as when different neighborhoods in the same city have divergent climates. Very different from, say, the Northeast Corridor, which basically all has the same climate and basically all gets the same weather coming through, give or take a few degrees every couple of hundred miles.

"I think the question is less whether you should be spilling four
gallons/week on each tomato plant, and more whether you should be doing
that by the calendar. As in, four gallons per week *every* week. You
simply can't water by the calendar."

Excellent point that can't be repeated too often. Too many factors involved to just X out every T-Th-Sa and write "Water" on the calendar. Flexibility is the key.

Dave