How to Deep Water Tomatoes

Growing Vegetables
Tomato Deep Watering

Watering plants is sometimes challenging, especially if your plants need to be deep watered. This is why many people opt for using drip irrigation to let the water soak in slowly. The problem is that while drip watering is a great watering method, it's sometimes not enough. It doesn't always provide enough water for certain plants.

One of the plants that need a lot of water, especially during summer, are tomatoes. It's very important to give tomatoes enough water. Drip irrigation can't provide enough water for your tomatoes. This is why it's important to come up with an alternate way to deep water your plants.

One reason why drip irrigation systems are not enough is because they need to be left on for 24/7 in order to provide enough water, which is impractical. Even if your tomatoes are raised in beds it can be challenging to give them all the water they need.

What to Do?

One effective way to deep water your plants is to bury a perforated tube into the ground. Deep watering makes tomatoes thrive: it makes them stronger and healthier, and it will help them produce a better crop.

Also, this method can save a lot of time. On the other hand, it can be expensive, especially if you go for a drain pipe made of PVC, with pre-drilled holes. These drain pipes tend to be pricey and too big for an average garden. This is why it's better to go with perforated tubing you can get at a cheap price. The tubing is also small enough to fit into your garden.

You will need about two or three 10ft lengths. Cut them into 16" pieces for your tomato beds. This length is ideal for beads that are about 12" deep. In case your beds are deeper than this, adjust the length so you can insert the tubing to the bottom of the bed and still have a few inches above the ground. You will need about 6 tubes for the each bed. To cut the tubing, it's best to use a chop saw.

If you have already planted your tomatoes, you need to be careful when digging in the tubes. Dig to the depth of about 12" or to the bottom of the raised bed. Once you have reached the bottom, insert the tube and then pull the soil back in and press it firmly around the tubing.

This is all you need to do to make your deep watering system. Simply pour the water in the each tube when you need to water your plants. You may also pour a bit of manure tea from time to time to make the tomatoes thrive. Your tomatoes should grow strong, healthy and they will produce a better crop.

Photo credit: Melissa Robertson

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