Showerthought: I read in a gardening book from the library that a single tomato plant can need up to 3 gallons of water on a hot day, which seems impossible for my tiny balcony setup.

Has anyone else found a way to keep container tomatoes watered without turning their balcony into a swamp or running to the sink ten times a day?

2 comments

2 Comments

leo_campbell1d ago

Honestly, I feel this. My balcony tomatoes last year were basically a full time job, I was just a guy with a watering can and a lot of regret. I ended up getting those cheap, slow drip watering spikes that screw onto plastic bottles. You bury the spike in the dirt and fill the bottle, it keeps things damp for like two days. Not perfect, but way better than my swampy floor situation.

taylor.jessica1d ago

Tell me about it, I almost gave up on tomatoes last summer for the exact same reason. My balcony looked like I was trying to grow rice in a kiddie pool. I switched to using much bigger pots this year, the kind with built-in water reservoirs at the bottom. It was a total game changer because the soil soaks up water from below as it dries out. I only have to fill the reservoir every few days even when it's really hot.