how to reduce frequency of watering for toms

I have really struggled to get to my allotment more than once in the week and both days at a weekend. My toms have suffered in the greenhouse even though a friend has been watering them a bit. Does anyone have any tips on how to set things up to reduce how often I have to come on to water? Next year my friend is giving up his allotment so will not be able to help.

Try a big plastic bottle with the bottom cut off, and fitted close to the plants.

Toms have two sorts of roots, drinkers and feeders.

The feeders go downwards, the drinkers stay near the top, so if you fill a 2 litre bottle as above, you'll probably keep them happy most of the time.

It is a problem, and I'm not good at watering regularly as well, as there're so many other things to do - like work, as well!

I thought the tomato roots were the other way round Growster. Feeding roots stay near the surface & drinking roots lower down to search out water. I use the drinks bottle way for lots of crops as it get the water right down to the roots & less evaporation, think beans,squashes,sweetcorn

My abject apologies, Snows, - and Bigben; you're absolutely correct!

I was only reading about the way toms get fed yesterday morning in Sarah Raven's book, and telling Mrs G what a genius I was in knowing everything (not), and got the two elements confused!

I hope you didn't rush out and get a dozen plastic bottles and plant them the wrong height Ben!

Top roots = feeders...
Lower roots = drinkers...


...repeat one hundred times Growster...:0(

Quote from: snowdrops on September 09, 2012, 02:41

I thought the tomato roots were the other way round Growster. Feeding roots stay near the surface & drinking roots lower down to search out water. I use the drinks bottle way for lots of crops as it get the water right down to the roots & less evaporation, think beans,squashes,sweetcorn

My abject apologies, Snows, - and Bigben; you're absolutely correct!

I was only reading about the way toms get fed yesterday morning in Sarah Raven's book, and telling Mrs G what a genius I was in knowing everything (not), and got the two elements confused!

I hope you didn't rush out and get a dozen plastic bottles and plant them the wrong height Ben!

Top roots = feeders...
Lower roots = drinkers...


...repeat one hundred times Growster...:0(

Easy done growster. Don't bother with the reps give Mrs G a cuddle or something

I had the same problem and solved it by setting up an old water tank by the side of the greenhouse. The tank is raised above the height of my tomato beds and has a piece of hosepipe attached to the outlet pipe. The other end of the hosepipe is connected to a long soaker hose that is trailed around the plants and sitting on the surface of the soil.

The system works well, sometimes a little too well, so I have built in a tap so that I can turn it off when the soil is getting too wet. Also, the guttering on the greenhouse is set up so that rainwater refills the tank and I have rarely had to top it up myself (especially this year)

I bought a couple of those Big Drippa systems for the beds in my tunnel, but I couldn't get on with them. No matter how low I set the drip speed, the bags are always empty inside an hour.