Watering Tomato Plants-A Few Things You Need to Know

How often you should be watering your tomato plants has been a topic that is constantly being debated. In this article, I will provide you with the method that I use when watering tomato plants. I have had success with this method more often than not, so I hope that it will be able to help you too.

There are two main things to consider when deciding on when you should be watering your tomato plants and I have discussed them below.

1) Temperature:
This factor goes hand in hand with the season. During summer, you will need to be watering your tomato plant around every two days. This is because the sun will dry up the soil fairly quickly and your tomatoes will start to wither and wont produce healthy fruit. This rule is not set in stone however, and there are times when you will need to water your plants twice a day and times when you don’t have to water for a week.

Natural rainfall is a great example of this. Its nature's way of watering tomato plants, and if there is enough rain then you wont have to manually water your garden. Also, its a better idea if you water your tomatoes early in the morning during mid summer and maybe around mid-day during the cooler months. The reason for watering your tomato plants early is so that they can absorb the water and stay hydrated. Also, there is less evaporation taking place in the morning so your plants can absorb the most amount of water. It’s usually fine to water around midday during the cool months however.

2) Indoor or Outdoor Tomatoes?
If you are growing tomatoes indoors, then you will only have to water your tomatoes every third or fourth day as the soil remains most for a longer period of time. If you are growing tomatoes outside, then you will need to follow the information that I provide under "temperature". If your home is very warm inside however, then you may need to be watering your tomato plants more often. Also, keep your tomatoes in a place that has enough sunshine if you are planting tomato plants inside.

Whether you are growing tomatoes in containers or outside, when you are watering tomato plants you should soak the soil thoroughly. If in a container, then water until the water starts to seep out the drainage holes at the bottom of the container. If in a normal container, then add, as much water as you think is required to soak the ground right to the roots.

I hope that the information above helps you in making the rights choices as to watering tomato plants. The tips above are ones that I use, and they work quite well most of the time. However, there may be a few things that you need to do differently when watering tomato plants, depending on your climate. How often do you water you tomatoes? What time of day do you water them? Feel free to share your tips in the comments section and I’m looking forward to learning what YOU do.