On 20 May 2003 12:17:12 -0500, Fat Freddy
wrote:

I rigged up a drip system for my tomatoes using 1GPH drip emitters, but
I'm not sure about the time or frequency to run the water. I read about
someone else in this area (Sacramento, CA) who used a drip system and
they had 4 -1GPH emitters on each plant and they ran it 3 hours every 5
days. That puts about 12 gallons of water on each plant each week.

My system has 1 emitter per plant and I have been running it every
other day for 2 hours. That puts about 6 gallons of water on each
plant.

I know tomatoes usually need between an inch and two inches of water a
week, but I don't know how to translate that to 1GPH drip emitters.

Can anyone give me some hints?

At the risk of offending all of those who are calculating their way to
an answer, have you looked at the plants? Watering will depend on
your soil, your climate, your plants, and your garden layout. They
will need varying amounts of water as they become larger. They will
need varying amounts of water as the season progresses (assuming that
it becomes relatively more dry in mid summer).

Watch the leaves toward the end of the day and supply enough water
that they do not droop or curl. The soil in the root zone should
remain moist (not wet).

Your eyes will tell you.