Feeding tomatoes

Dim

Re: Feeding tomatoes

Post by Dim »

Vagetarian wrote:Poor things.

I agree with Dim, just grow decent tasting varieties in the first place and you can't really go wrong.

To Dim, I grew Sungold last year and they were great plants and fruits indeed. I then noticed the RHS tomato trial from a few years ago, they did Sungold side by side with one called Golden Sweet F1. I know this is hard to believe but Golden Sweet yielded about 30% more and scored a bit higher in brix readings too. I can confirm, that the plants are insanely good, been harvesting them since some time in early June.
thanks .... I have added golden sweet to my list for next year
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Yorkshire Kris
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Re: Feeding tomatoes

Post by Yorkshire Kris »

Mr List wrote:the guy he is copying from last years program said to feed them everyday. icon_scratch

Yep, I thought he said that glad someone else remembers.
Kristen

Re: Feeding tomatoes

Post by Kristen »

Dim wrote:I have added golden sweet to my list for next year
You growing Comfrey to feed them with (in addition to the things you are using / planning)? Make sure you get the Bocking 14 (sterile) variety otherwise it will seed all over your garden and a bind to get rid off - very deep rooted.

Commonly grown on allotments, so you should be able to blag some locally, let me know if not and I'll prop. some roots for you.

Stinks when you "steep" it though ... M.Don was doing it on Gardeners World over the last couple of episodes.
Dim

Re: Feeding tomatoes

Post by Dim »

Kristen wrote:
Dim wrote:I have added golden sweet to my list for next year
You growing Comfrey to feed them with (in addition to the things you are using / planning)? Make sure you get the Bocking 14 (sterile) variety otherwise it will seed all over your garden and a bind to get rid off - very deep rooted.

Commonly grown on allotments, so you should be able to blag some locally, let me know if not and I'll prop. some roots for you.

Stinks when you "steep" it though ... M.Don was doing it on Gardeners World over the last couple of episodes.
Thanks Kristen .... I am still using actively aerated compost tea (made with worm humis, forest topsoil, seaweed extract, fish hydrolosate etc), and so far, so good .... I use it on all plants including veg and indoor plants for my clients, and it's cheap to make

ontop of that, I regulary foliar feed and use stuff such as volcanic rock dust and worm humis as soil amendments....

I'm still learning, and learn new things daily .... I have a fair sized garden and will enlarge my vegetable growing patch soon .... (I planted too many salady things this year, and need to plant more solid foody stuff such as marrows, aubergines, pumkins, squashes, beans, peas etc .... (we are sick of spinach, rocket, lettuce etc and it just keeps on growing!)

I saw your blog with your polytunnel and will try and build something similar soon.... I already have the builders mesh (managed to get loads from the tip, but it's green in colour), and I may try using a thick clear plastic sheet/sheets for winter and see if I can grow some veg out of season ....

I saw an advert on our local gumtree today for 20 meters of hdpe plastic pipe, and have emailed the seller (20 meters for £5) .... I will have to get more though as I'm planning to build a fairly large walk through one
Kristen

Re: Feeding tomatoes

Post by Kristen »

Dim wrote:I am still using ... I use it on all plants including veg
Do you have a higher Potash feed for when they are fruiting? If not then Comfrey could fill that gap :)
Dim

Re: Feeding tomatoes

Post by Dim »

Kristen wrote:
Dim wrote:I am still using ... I use it on all plants including veg
Do you have a higher Potash feed for when they are fruiting? If not then Comfrey could fill that gap :)
I use Plagron bat guano .... I buy it in large buckets for less than £20 and it has an NPK of 3-15-4 .... on paper, it's not high in K, but there's something else in there that seems to work wonders when plants are flowering .... in combination with the other fertilizers that I use (seaweed extract and fish hydrolosate)
Kristen

Re: Feeding tomatoes

Post by Kristen »

Worth you giving Comfrey Tea a try then I reckon. You'll get better results if you get more K in than that (although if they are outdoors there may well be enough in the soil)
Dim

Re: Feeding tomatoes

Post by Dim »

Kristen wrote:Worth you giving Comfrey Tea a try then I reckon. You'll get better results if you get more K in than that (although if they are outdoors there may well be enough in the soil)
Thanks Kristen, I will definately have a closer look at Comfrey as there are loads of good reports from people who use it ... it is also supposed to be very good in compost bins as it heats up the bins contents .... the average NPK for comfrey tea is 4-1-6 .... a bit of that added to my own brewed compost tea just before applying will be very good

One the the key ingredients in my actively aerated compost teas is molasses (average NPK 1-0-5) .... it contains potash, sulfur, and many trace minerals, it also serves as a nutritious soil amendment and 'feeds the soil'. Molasses is also an excellent chelating agent and a great source of carbohydrates to stimulate the growth of beneficial microorganisms in the soil .... I feed all my plants with compost tea once a week during the growing season.

some guys just dilute molasses and apply directly to the plants without adding it/brewing a compost tea ... many fertilizers are derived from molasses (read the fine print on the labels).... The one to get is organic unsulphered blackstrap molasses .... it costs approx £2.50 for a large jar (avail at tescos or most health stores), and 1-2 heaped tablespoons mixed in a 10 litre watering can is all that is needed.... one jar goes a long way .... it can also be used as a foliar feed
Kristen

Re: Feeding tomatoes

Post by Kristen »

Dim wrote:[Comfrey ... is also supposed to be very good in compost bins as it heats up the bins contents
I think its a waste! all my Comfrey gets used as a potash feed - either by steeping to make tea, or just laying by the plants as a mulch. I use Nettles as compost accelerator (perhaps should make a Nitrogen tea out of them ...) but the best accelerator for me is peeing on the heap.
Dim

Re: Feeding tomatoes

Post by Dim »

Kristen wrote:
Dim wrote:[Comfrey ... is also supposed to be very good in compost bins as it heats up the bins contents
I think its a waste! all my Comfrey gets used as a potash feed - either by steeping to make tea, or just laying by the plants as a mulch. I use Nettles as compost accelerator (perhaps should make a Nitrogen tea out of them ...) but the best accelerator for me is peeing on the heap.
Peeing in my garden is a no-no ..... my garden is a fair size, but it's not private ....my neighbours peep out of their windows everytime I smoke a cigarette and cough, and I've recently moved here, ....

so I don't want to excite my neighbour's wifes (yet) :wink:
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