GrowerC86
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Posts: 33
Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2016 4:39 pm

Are any of these products good for tomato nutrients in soil?

I was going through some of my food products and wondered if any of them would be useful to add to the soil for my tomato plants to offer nutrients to the plants. I wanted to ask here so people with more experience can say if it would be a good idea or not. For the flax and chia seeds, I would of course grind them up first if they are any good for the soil. I drink organic black tea all the time and always just throw the used tea bags away. If they would be any good for the tomato plants I could open the bags and put the tea grinds in the soil. I use himalayan pink salt now for all my salt needs because it has 84 minerals and is not processed or has anything added to it like table salt does. I know salt would add a lot of sodium to the soil but since it contains so many minerals I was wondering if it would be of any use for my tomato plants. The organic coconut palm sugar I bought to try as a sweetener for my tea but it didn't give it the flavor I was hoping for, so its just been sitting in my desk for a couple months. If I could use it for my tomato plants in any way that would be great. I also wanted to ask about peanut hulls because I have a bag of peanut hulls that I was just going to throw out unless I could grind them up and put them in the soil for any reason.

I'm only asking this because I have seen so many different videos and websites of people using all kinds of things to add to their soil for their tomato plants and wanted to ask about these products I have to see if they could be of any use for my plants.

I also have a bag of 13-13-13 Farmer's Favorite Fertilizer plant food. Would that be safe to use on tomato plants that are about a foot to a foot and half high? Thanks!
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GrowerC86
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Posts: 33
Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2016 4:39 pm

I also use a lot of organic green tea as well. Would the leftover green tea grinds be good for tomato plants?

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

I can't answer all of them right now, but for starters, during the winter when all of my tender plants are inside, I always tear open the tea bags and put the used leaves on the surface of container plant potting mix as mulch. If the tea bag is real paper, then I either tear/cut in strips depending on size of the container, or stuff them into the potting mix along the side of the pot with a used chopstick.

But any of these organic matter can be added as compost pile ingredients or vermicompost food for the worms.

If planting tomatoes in the ground, some of them could be put in the bottom of the planting hole.

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

I have used peanut hulls in the worm bin. They like to lay the babies in them. I guess it would not hurt to put them on the tomatoes.

Other things from the kitchen/ house you did not mention that have been useful
Dawn dish soap to make insecticidal soap
Crisco vegetable oil to make oil insecticide
Murphy's oil soap and Dr Bronners soaps and castile soap are also ok for home made insecticide
Alcohol is my number 1 all purpose insecticide. And all you have to do is recycle a spray tip from another bottle. (Rinse it out well)
cinnamon = natural fungicide
Hydrogen peroxide = fungicide
Milk =can be diluted and used as leaf shine substitute or fungicide
20 mule team borax. = ant bait, herbicide, fertilizer (adds micronutrient boron. Cole crops can use a little more. Not too much boron toxicity = killing plants.
epsom salts (eye wash ) magnesium supplement
Leftover greens from the frig. Chop and freeze and when you have enough do some trench composting for the next tomato bed.
Newspaper and cardboard- mulch, weed, and mud control. Can also be used as carbon for compost pile.
Plastic utensils and solo cups, yogurt containers, other plastic containers like coffee cans, milk jugs, bleach containers, and cottage cheese. - utensils make labels, cups recycled for planting pots. Plastic containers for storing fertilizer and seeds.
Eggshells - dry them, pulverize to a powder in a food processor and spread it in the garden or plant it with your tomato to add calcium to the soil ( It will take a while to break down so it won't give you immediate results)
Cat litter buckets ( if you can still find the 38 lb ones) = all around uses as a planting container, weed bucket , tool bucket, garden chair (only a thick bucket and if you are not heavy), storage bucket for fertilizer, and anything else that fits.
Empty spray bottles - rinse well and recycle for garden insecticides. Make sure you label each bottle clearly.
Kitchen twine- trellis
baggie ties- tie tomato vines to trellis
cheesecloth and nylon stocking make 'tea bags' for fertilizerer and put the bags in the pots. Kind of a slow release fertilizer.
Socks- bigger tea bags for manure or compost tea.



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