tomato planting....what do you use?

[bwhite829]

Hey all, I was wondering what everybody uses to plant tomatoes in. My grandfather has always used a mixture of potting soil(whatever kind he can get half off at the store cuz the bags are ripped), gypsum, lime, 8-8-8 fertilizer and composted horse poop...he actually uses that for all the spring/summer crops and always has bumper crops of everything. I've got my raised bed in finally and right now its horse manure that's fairly well composted. I made hills of the potting mix, 8-8-8 fertilizer, lime and gypsum and have the transplants in, but since they are later started and small I'm going to fertilze w/ miracle grow as well until I get them a good size then switch to a higher nitrogen mix.

Just wondering what everybody else uses. I've read that sphagnum moss also acidifies the soil a bit so I might experiment next season w/ half the plants of lime and half the plants of moss....NO CLUE what the gypsum does but since he has always had great success figured I'd use it as well...

Also have edemame planted in between tomatoes as well so they can help w/ nitrogen after they are done....figured since they are my wife's fav beans why not...

[Dillbert]

gypsum is most often used as a aid in breaking up clay soils.

applying lime in the blind is not a good idea - most vegetables prefer a slight acid soil.

tomatoes should not be over fertilized. that usually results in a lot of stem/leaf growth and less fruit.

I dig in a lot of organic matter and I don't add anything when planting. dig hole, plop it in, that's it.

[rainbowgardener]

" I'm going to fertilze w/ miracle grow as well until I get them a good size then switch to a higher nitrogen mix. "


Don't do that! Switch to a lower nitrogen mix. Nitrogen promotes big leafy growth at the expense of fruiting. Tomato fertilizer would be more like 5-10-10, where the 5 is the Nitrogen.

But really the best thing for tomatoes is good enriched organic soil. I plant mine in topsoil with lots of compost and mulch.

[bwhite829]

Oh I had it backwards then...I thought tomatoes loved nitrogen which is why you want a nitrogen fixer next to it? I was going to switch to something like tomato-tone after it gets good vegetation but thought the key was high nitrogen.

[rainbowgardener]

Tomatoes don't love nitrogen, as noted, it will promote big plant growth, but no fruits. I never heard of planting nitrogen fixers with them. Not on any of the companion plant lists and some people even say beans are bad to put with tomatoes:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companion_plants

Tomato tone is good stuff, organic, with lots of beneficial microbes and trace nutrients. It is NOT high in nitrogen. Its NPK is something like 4-7-10.

Corn is a high nitrogen, heavy feeder, traditionally planted with beans and other nitrogen fixers. Perhaps you mixed them up?

[gixxerific]

Please before adding a bunch of lime GET A SOIL TEST! Ask just about anyone "my soil needs work what should I do?" the normal answer is 12-12-12 and lime. Both bad ideas without know what you are working with.

Yes tomatoes do not need nigh Nitro.

[JayPoc]

I usuall stick mine in the dirt

Seriously though, I grow most of my maters in one place, year after year. I know its not ideal, but its pretty much my only option due to some space constraints and the fact that I live on top of a shale hill with very little dirt in most places. Anyway, when I first started using this bed several years back, I mixed in several bags each of "top soil" and miracle grow "garden soil" in equal parts. Each year before planting I mix in a 50 lb bag of composted manure, my own compost, and sometimes a little extra bagged soil if I have it laying around.

So far, so good......

[bwhite829]

I've already planted everything. I'll leave the beans in there as the nitrogen fixing won't occur until the plants are dead and start to decay from what I've read...I'll rip them out and mulch them around a nitrogen lover after they are dead...I don't know how I misunderstood that tomatoes need high nitrogen. I do know about 3 sisters and planting beans and corn. I'll get a soil test before I put the fall veggies in. I'm going to let it go this spring and whatever happens happens. I was short on time and was too busy this spring to work in the garden as much as I wanted so hopefully fall will slow down. I want to build a small cold frame and extend the raised bed by another 60's sq ft this fall so I'll take care of the soil test then. Thanks all!

[JayPoc]

I've already planted everything. I'll leave the beans in there as the nitrogen fixing won't occur until the plants are dead and start to decay from what I've read...

No....the bacteria on legume roots fix nitrogen while the plants are alive.

don't sweat it though. My guess is everything will do just fine.

[bwhite829]

Hah, I guess if you ask 10 different people you can get up to 10 different answers....I'll just keep the tomatoes fertilized w/ tomato tone and hope for the best.

[bwhite829]

The beans should die off when it gets really hot anyway and we've had tomatoes last all year, so I should be fine to just use tomato tone when the beans die off and I should have time to get good fruit set still, no?

[rainbowgardener]

Yes, should be fine. The nitrogen fixing effect of the beans is not that strong anyway, not like adding synthetic fertilizer. And I do think at least some of the nitrogen they fix, they hold and it is not released until after the plant dies. Just stick with the tomato-tone if you are adding fertilizer.

[applestar]

the nitrogen they fix, they hold and it is not released until after the plant dies

^ this ^

So cut off the bean plants just below soil level after they are done to allow the roots to break down, and son't forget to use the top as mulch as well.

I like to plant legumes in rotation just BEFORE heavy feeder (high N) crops. So I usually plant peas or favas in early spring, though if you can grow them through winter, you would want to plant them in fall. (I sometimes grow cover crop vetch)

Depending on planting schedule and rate of growth, I also plant peas or favas where the ROOTS of heavy feeders will grow into later on.

Fall greens could be planted after bush beans or other heavy feeder fall crops where fall season is long.