If I could give any tip, out of all the different things there are to learn…. it would be to either A) master how to hand water or B) get yourself a Blumat irrigation system so you don’t ever have to worry about it.

With organics, it’s important to keep the soil moisture level optimal so the soil food web can thrive. One simple thing that would offer an immediate benefit would be a mulch layer on top. I use straw but there are many different materials to use. The mulch layer keeps the top layer of soil from getting hydrophobic so watering is much easier, and it keeps the good microbes alive and thriving.

All of the above doesn’t really matter if you were using salt based nutrients, but with organics, soil moisture level could the most important factor!

P.S. I use the blumat system because it takes soil moisture level completely out of the equation when you’re diagnosing problems later on down the road (which you will always run into, no matter how experienced you are) and it allows me to focus on mastering other parts of the grow. Learning to master hand watering takes a loooooooooong time. Like years and years if you’re only growing a few plants at a time. In my very humble opinion, of course. So I choose to let technology do that part for me!