Fish for use on tomatoes?

[Moonster]

I have a 5 gallon bucket of fish that has been sitting(Sealed) for a year and I am ready to open it and use it on my tomatoes. Any suggestions?

[GardenJester]

remember to breath thru your mouth? or get a gas mask?

[Moonster]

With all the pine pollen my head is so stopped up I can hardly breathe now. I think I am safe. LOL I usually put fresh fish parts (guts) under the tomato plants but had a bunch left over. I had heard that you could make your own fish emulsion but I do not know if I need to dilute it or dig a trench along side the plants and cover it with dirt or add to water and pour it on.

[gixxerific]

First off have someone else open the container for sure.

Putting fish in the ground is very inviting to rodents and other animals.

[applestar]

Setting aside the issues of odor and potential scavengers for a moment.... If memory serves, the way to make your own fish fertilizer is to add some enzymes like papain and bromine. I believe you can get them as nutritional supplements or as meat tenderizers. Some lactic acid might not be a bad idea -- yogurt? Also, we have had some discussion about bokashi and EM.

I don't know what the condition of your fish would be after a year. Would there have been natural enzyme action -- perhaps from the fish organs? Would it depend on temperature it was kept in?

I think straight up would be too strong. Also, might be too much nitrogen for tomatoes, though someone (maybe TZ -- sorry if I'm wrong) said high nitrogen is good for early tomato growth. I'm pretty sure, though that too much nitrogen prevents flowering and fruit set.

[Gary350]

When I was in high school my father use to net fish in the river and catch 100 lbs of fish every day. We barried the dead fish parts in the garden. I did some experements putting fish around the plants. There did not seem to be any bad or good from it. All the plants seem to grow just fine with or without the fish. We had excellent soil in Illinois where we lived it was almost coal black full of lots and lots of organic material and worms.

If you were to do this with bad soil then you might see a noticable differents in plant growth, I'm not an expert about this type of thing so I really don't know for sure. I think the calcium in fish bones would be good for the tomatoes.

[pepper4]

Moonster, last year after my husband cleaned his fish he buried remains in garden. I think we had every cat within blocks of our house hanging around and even a raccoon or 2. Our Beagle was constantly going nuts. I don't know if the fish did any good because last year was my first year. Going to try it this year without.

[rainbowgardener]

Agree re the critters... I can't plant anything with fish emulsion or parts, because the raccoons, cats and other critters will dig up the plant and throw it aside, trying to get to the fish...

[Kisal]

First off have someone else open the container for sure.

And make sure it's someone you don't like!

[applestar]

Oooh that reminds me. One year, DH went tuna fishing and came home with I think 4 HUGE yellowfin and big-eyed tuna. They had been bled and innards cleaned but we -- well he -- had to cut them up. We dragged the picnic table out to the middle of the lawn, and he cut up those tuna. Tossing the carcass in a metal trash can. I was in charge of taking the trays and trays of tuna inside and temporarily bagging them to keep buried in the big ice chest. It got dark and he kept on working with the floodlights on. And when he was finished, he dug a deep trench and buried them all. We built our first veggie garden over those fish. I was digging up giant fish skeleton for years.

Even though he'd thoroughly rinsed the metal trash can, we woke up to a commotion inside the trash can, sitting by the split rail fence in the back. Shining a flashlight into it, we saw a GIANT RAT! -- or so I thought. Second look revealed an OPPOSUM. It couldn't get out. DH clapped the lid on the can and drove it out somewhere to get rid of it. Peace at last.