[Tomato Dirt #204] Helpful Gadgets for Watering Tomatoes

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[Tomato Dirt #204] Helpful Gadgets for Watering Tomatoes
June 11, 2020

Tomato Dirt Newsletter
Volume 10, Number 12

Dear Tomato Dirt reader,

Welcome back to Tomato Dirt! A couple times a month, we’ll send you this newsletter packed with tips about growing tomatoes and using them.

Danger: Don't Let Your Tomatoes Get Thirsty

Yes, it’s good to be a drip when it comes to watering your garden! Tomatoes need 1-3 inches of water a week.

Hoses, nozzles, drip irrigation, water timers, rain gauges, soaker systems, watering cans, rain urns … check out all kinds of watering gadgets with our good friends at Gardener’s Supply.

This is the GS page where you can get all the different kinds of watering gear you need for your garden. It's so much fun to browse around. And if you find something at a bargain price - well, go for it!

Plus, they donate 8% of their profits to home and garden improvement programs.

But apart from all that good stuff, their watering gadgets and irrigation supplies are quality products that will last season after season. Check them out here.

Tomato Dirt is on Pinterest

Join us on Pinterest! Browse our 100+ boards (and growing) for all kinds of tomato inspiration and practical information: growing tomatoes, tomato seeds, cold frames for tomatoes, tomato books, tomato greenhouses, , indoor tomatoes – even crafts to do with a tomato theme. Happy pinning!

FEATURE: Helpful Watering Gadgets for Watering Tomatoes

Image: Tomato Dirt

Tomato plants need 1-3 inches of water a week – on the low end of that scale during the cooler parts of the season and on the upper end of that range during hot spells and when the plants are putting out fruit. How do you know if your tomato plants are getting enough water? These watering gadgets can help.

Rain Gauge: this device collects and measures rainfall in a specific place. Gauges are available in a wide range of styles and prices, from high-tech automatic devices to very simple mounted versions.

Soil Moisture Meter: also called a soil moisture sensor, this tool measures water content in the soil. Most versions for the home garden have a probe attached to the meter box itself. You insert the probe into the soil, which senses and reports the moisture volume in the soil in that specific area. You can track different levels of soil moisture in different patches of your garden by taking separate readings with the probe. This can show you if some parts of the garden are receiving more water than others.

Water Usage Meter: these nifty watering gadgets – both faucet models and nozzle models - allow you to track how much water you’re giving your plants through your watering system. Information from a water usage meter is particularly useful for tomato gardeners because the meter shows you how much water you are using either in a single watering or cumulatively.

Find out more about these watering gadgets … and be sure to check out our Watering Tomatoes board on Pinterest for more helpful information.

Best Tips for Growing Tomatoes: Bestseller in 89 Countries

THE tomato-growing Bible and best-seller in 89 countries: How to Grow Juicy Tomatoes. Two horticulturalists combine forces to give you advice about the right way to prune, fertilize, water and stake tomatoes.

You’ll be able to diagnose pest and disease problems using step by step priceless information, illustrated with 260 full color photos.

Get the book and you’ll also get 6 free bonuses, including the Family Tomato Cookbook and a database of 1300 varieties of tomatoes. More details here.

Calculate Rainfall for Free

Collecting rainwater for your garden is a smart idea, no matter what your motivation. Plants like rainwater, because it's naturally soft, and free of chlorine and other chemicals. If drought is a problem where you live, collecting rainwater is a good way to deal with watering restrictions. If you're on a municipal water system, you stand to save a considerable amount of money.

Now you can harvest the rain right from your roof and estimate how many gallons of water you can collect, thanks to this nifty rainfall calculator from our good friends at Gardener’s Supply. Just enter your roof measurements and the amount of rainfall and POOF! – you’ve got the number of gallons you can collect to use in your garden.

You’ll find plenty of other handy information on the Rainfall Calculator page, including a rainfall collection supplies list and how-tos. Plus, it’s free. Check it out here.