$80 on a soil moisture meter saved my tomato crop 3 years straight

I dropped $80 on a decent moisture meter back in 2021 after killing two sets of plants by overwatering. Turns out my 'feel the soil' method was way off, especially with clay-heavy dirt here in Ohio. That thing paid for itself after one season when I didn't lose a single plant to root rot. Anyone else found a cheap tool that actually changed their gardening game?

2 comments

2 Comments

patb861mo ago

Yeah, that "feel the soil" method has let me down more times than I care to admit. I actually still use the old finger test but I poke a chopstick down there first to see how wet it is deeper in the pot. It's not fancy but it works for me, especially with my succulents where the top can be bone dry but the bottom is still soaking. Might not save a tomato crop like your moisture meter did though, those things are finicky with clay.

jordan_webb491mo ago

Funny you mention the chopstick thing @patb86, my buddy swore by that method until he left one in his pothos pot for like three weeks and a tiny mushroom grew on the end of it. He sent me a picture and I couldn't tell if he was proud or horrified but it definitely proves the chopstick knows what's up with the moisture deeper down. Sometimes the low tech stuff just wins, even if you get a surprise fungus out of the deal.