I just do that with some lettuces and some tomato plants (This is my first time gardening since I discovered my side porch actually gets enough sunlight.)

It's mainly excess anyway. I'll get enough out of my main garden. Just mostly things like extra tomatoes, squash, melons, cucumbers, brassicas. Won't really be missed. I have a few flowers started, too, those I'm just going to tuck in here and there into pots I've already got going.

I hate to hear of plants being dumped. Can you post the extras on craigslist? Maybe someone can make good use of them.

BTW, I once gardened in a drought year and had bang-up produce for just two reasons:

a) I mulched heavily

b) I used drip irrigation, which the plants like better anyway.

Re the latter, doesn't have to be a "professional" system. You can set up all sorts of things to "drop," like small holes in soda bottles.


Cher

I used to lay about 2500 to 3000 feet to T-tape every season. I was constantly patching and mending where voles would chew into it to get water. I have just gone back to overhead portable sprinklers and regular rubber hose.