Topic: Tomato watering

[pumkinlover]

For the last couple of years I have been a bit lax in watering my tomatoes, however they have survived and have actually tasted much better.
So I am wondering how often  do you all water your tomatoes?
The question goes back to the 70's when my then boyfriend fed and watered his Dad's tomatoes twice a day- I think they were moneymaker.

[sunloving]

Hi pumpkin lover, I water less and less. I find that if I resist watering when they first go in they make some good deep roots and I can then water monthly when they grow and then weekly once they have fruit on.
I've also learnt to direct water to the ground to avoid free water on the leaves that let's mildew and blight spores germinate.

X sunloving

[Deb P]

I usually water once in the morning if it's hot and sunny, alternate days if it's overcast/ rainy, and cut watering right back in September to prolong the cropping. Still feed weekly ( Sunday job!) with Powerfeed, based on seaweed.

[tricia]

In the greenhouse the trays get watered every day and fed from the top once a week. Outdoors every other day or so, depending on the weather and also fed once a week.

Tricia 

[johhnyco15]

i water the pots next to my toms three times a week and feed twice a week never get blossom end rot on the beefsteak type  here on the sunshine coast the soil is very sandy so watering is a must no matter how much manure etc you put in hope this helps

[small]

The greenhouse ones I water daily, twice if it's really really hot, my outdoor ones not at all, it never occurred to me, I don't water anything in the ground at this time of year. Nothing seems to suffer.....

[johhnyco15]

The greenhouse ones I water daily, twice if it's really really hot, my outdoor ones not at all, it never occurred to me, I don't water anything in the ground at this time of year. Nothing seems to suffer.....

small may i ask you how much rain you get we have had none for 4 weeks now and the next 2 seem to have none forecast this is normal for the sunshine coast its one of the driest parts of the country just wondered if that is the reason you dont water as you get enough rain

[Borlotti]

My italian friends at the allotment told me not to water my toms in the ground, but i did yesterdsy as they looked very sad, as we have no rain for ages. Funny old year.

[gazza1960]

Im a twice a day man too,preferring to water before the heat of the day has arrived and just now as light is fading
I watched many a goodplotter coming and going early and late when jude and I had our plot so followed suit.

the only addition ive been doing is as soon as the plants bear fruit I get myself a bucket of seaweed and let it rot down for a month
and sieve it through muslin cloth and put a jug of seaweed tea in with a bucket of rain water on the root stems of the tommies ....



if these marmandes are anything to go by we are pleased with their growth using the Tea Weed Water once a week.

Gazza

[pumkinlover]

don't forget to vote then please Gazza!
Ps any chance of a couple of bags of seaweed

[small]

Sorry Johhnyco, can't do quotes....
I'm East Midlands, clay,  we had a very wet June but not much rain at all since, my outdoor toms are rampant, as are courgettes, though the ground is hard pan on the surface. The roots must be happy, though!

[Pescador]

The plants in thick grow-bags with bottomless pots stood on top, get watered every/ every other day.
The ones on the allotment were watered in when planted and again a few days later. Nothing from then (early June) until this Sunday

[gazza1960]

your welcome to a bucket or two of seaweed anytime pumpkinlover,you best take it fresh as the rotted down tea sludge is rancid and has to spend its life behind the shed........pongy  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[picman]

IMHO , its the time of day you water them that is important, don't leave them dry at night, so I have a DIY controller that keeps the compost moist all day last water about 18:00 , then starts  again about 11:00 . feed gets added to water supply weekly,   

[BarriedaleNick]

I dont water the outdoor ones much but when I do I give them a really good soaking.  The ones in the polly get watered according to conditions - they are in builders buckets so they will get dry in hot weather and they get watered accordingly.

[Pescador]

Just picked my first Sungold from the open-planted plants on the allotment. Beautiful full size and good colour. They were watered when planted, in early June, and again last Sunday. I don't side-shoot them, just let them ramble. They're a pain to harvest, but I get loads off them. Goes without saying that there's lads to come, so it time to make Tomato and Chilli Dipping Sauce (by the gallon!!)
All I need is the energy to do it!

[Vinlander]

I've just scanned through the replies, and I may have missed some - but it seems to me the only ones that even mention flavour are the ones that don't water tomatoes well established in soil.

My experience is that watering such established tomatoes just makes the fruit taste of water.

I'm particularly puzzled by the desire for size for its own sake (they aren't fiddly to prepare like eg. globe artichokes).

One more point - bland supermarket cannonballs can be greatly improved by a bit of salt on the cut. Salt and many other tastes and flavours from the soil build up faster in less-watered plants because they have to search a bigger volume of soil to find the water they need.

Apart from the fact that any water you put on the soil washes these soluble whatever-they-are further away from the surface... Adding simple fertilisers only replaces a very few of them (and in my experience can push the balance of flavours towards "soapy").

It might be possible to get your entire tomato needs of flavoursome fruit from the minimum number of plants by using some method like a constant supply of a properly complex fertiliser (compost/manure tea?) - but why any family with an allotment would feel the need to do this simply escapes me - unless you are feeding a dozen gourmet relatives from a single plot.

Cheers.

[Vinlander]

I've just spotted the poll - unfortunately it doesn't distinguish the critical issue between pot/bag grown and open ground.

My option isn't there anyway - it's "when I think they will wilt before I can get back".

Cheers.

[Borlotti]

I started watering my tomatoes at the allotment, but they have gone brown at the ends, the toms I mean.  The leaves look OK.  Have thrown the affected toms away,but it is lack of water, or blight.  The ones at home in pots look OK.  We have not had rain for many days now, in Enfield. north London. Think my toms do better at home, so not worth it at the allotment if they are all going to fail.  Also my runner beans are hard, lack of rain, but at least the raspberries are doing well, and the dreaded courgettes.

[picman]

I started watering my tomatoes at the allotment, but they have gone brown at the ends, the toms I mean.  The leaves look OK.  Have thrown the affected toms away,but it is lack of water, or blight.  The ones at home in pots look OK.  We have not had rain for many days now, in Enfield. north London. Think my toms do better at home, so not worth it at the allotment if they are all going to fail.  Also my runner beans are hard, lack of rain, but at least the raspberries are doing well, and the dreaded courgettes.

Sound like blossom end rot, I believe  down to calcium intake at night ,ie  dry .