Aargh

It always happens. You think you are doing your best and then you goof up. My tomatoes were coming along just fine. I thought that by turning on the fan, the stalks would thicken up a little. I went in on Wednesday and examined. Things were a little dry so I watered, giving about 2 quarts among the three planters. (I actually bought a 1/4" line so that I could syphon water from the pitcher and control its flow more easily. The syphon worked great. It just needed to work more.) The plants in the top photo are the Italian Heirloom.

But then I went in this morning and felt that sinking feeling in my chest. Two of the three plantings had gone totally dry and the tomatoes had started to (or completely in some cases) keeled over. The soil was totally dry. Of course, the fan is the culprit, but it is my lack of diligence that is the real problem. Seedlings cannot be ignored and I had ignored them. The plants in the center photo are the John Baer. They are the ones that have had the greatest problem in color -- the leaves have a yellowish tint.

Amazingly, the Hungarian Heart (in the bottom photo) seemed to do the best. The soil was just as dry but they had not wilted. I guess their point of catastrophe is a little different than the other varieties.

I immediately gave each bed water, about 2 quarts each. I turned off the fan. I will give them a while to see if some respond. I will replant where I see that a seedling has died. What else can I do at this point?

The ten days we were gone on vacation with the fan off, nothing bad happened. Just a few days with different conditions changed everything.