my summer hanging baskets are dying. what is the problem?

They need a shot of miracle grow every month.

Hanging baskets require both fertilizer and water, often. Fertilizer is water soluble. It is washed away every time you water and the excess water runs out of the basket. Get the small fertilizer sticks about the thickness of a pencil and place 2 into the soil of the hanging basket. Place them near the sides directly across from each other.

Then water once a day, or more if they look like they are wilting or drying out. Everytime you water, the fertilizer sticks replace the fertilizer you are washing out.

DRY WEATHER

Try watering them.

Coming to end of season now.

well yes hanging plants do need water and fertilizer. however you are not saying what type of plants they are. perhaps you have a mix of petunia and pansies or fucshias. They are plants do better in shadier spots. You may have burned them. Other thing is the pot itself. are they draining and what material are they? Som pots like ceramics and plastics may drain but retain enough that the roots of the plants may sweat and rot. Take a look as to what plants you have and if they like full sun or partial shade to shade. see if the basket has mold if you remove the dead plants for next year and you will know that e container will make them sweat. with that you can make better choices.

Use water.

Here when it gets hot, baskets die from the heat. Also they have to be watered a couple of times a day. You have to test the soil to be sure you don't over water but it is so hot here. . .I have a couple of places the dogs have done in the grass and I water that about five times a day...the part that is in the afternoon sun. Some soil drys out so much faster than others and the stuff that comes in the hanging baskets here dries out almost immediately. I put in a soil that will hold more water. I've been trying to find bigger basket and there seems to be a limit on size. I would like some really large ones and I assume they will hold water better.

hanging plants need tons of water.

I guess that you mean plants which sprawl and scramble when planted in the ground take on a new dimension when you plant them in hanging baskets. Then you may put sphagnum moss or soil mixes into the basket which was placed with a plate or basin at the bottom beforehand. In that case, before watering you should use your finger poke into the sphagnum moss or soil mixes to see if it is bone dry and then do watering, but don't forget to drain the excess of water away.
In view of the above, your summer hanging plants' dying is probably due to over watering or sever summer heat wave.
Yip