RE: 2018 Homesteading Goals
It also allows you to cover them more easily if you get bad weather!
We have a lot of trouble keeping the rain from ruining some of our plants before their done producing in the fall and the cover can keep the frost off for a while too.
Check into self-watering pots or making some yourself. It really makes a difference in your plants to have water readily handy, helps them develop deep roots, and keeps the water needs down.
I ended up making my own as tomato plants grow pretty big and I wanted to do 2-3 plants in the same container. I used big tubs like in this DIY but used large gravel on the bottom to support the barrier like in this sketch. It also helps if you use a long dowel to stick in the watering hole so that you can measure the water in the bottom and see when it still has water or it needs more.