Just realized my $60 balcony drip setup was a waste and my $12 watering can does the job

Dylan Stone · 2026-10-20T20:45:05.193513+00:00

I set up one of those drip irrigation kits on my 6th floor balcony in Sacramento back in April, spent about $60 on the timer, tubing, and little stakes, and it nearly killed my peppers. Two emitters clogged in the first month and my basil got soaked while the tomatoes dried out, so I was out there every night hand-checking everything anyway. I finally ripped the whole thing off last weekend and went back to a plain $12 watering can, and my plants look better after 10 days than they did all summer. Maybe drip works on a big patio, but on 4 pots and a railing box it just gave me extra stuff to worry about. I'm sticking with the can and a finger in the soil from now on. Has anyone actually had good luck with a timer setup on a small balcony, or am I right that it's overkill under 8 pots?

Librear

Loading…

Just realized my $60 balcony drip setup was a waste and my $12 watering can does the job | Balcony Veggie Gardens - Librear