Question? Best way to keep tomato plants producing

Comments: 14

Debby White May 7, 2009, 12:48am EDT

I use Miracle Grow & have always had pretty good luck. Also when I plant them.....I put Epsom salt in my soil first...then some soil & finally the tomato plants! I'm SO jealous that you're already harvesting....I can't get mine in the ground yet due to WAY too much rain! They already have blooms on them too. UGH! I have a cauliflower that already has a head about the size of a half dollar that I can't get in the ground! IF it doesn't rain tonite.....I MIGHT get to start planting tomorrow! I have TONS of things to get planted & so far only have 2 apple trees, pompas grass, flowers, herbs & taters actually in the ground! Good luck with your tomatoes!

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Merry W. May 7, 2009, 1:53am EDT

Debby, mine are not in the ground, mine are in 5 Gal buckets! lol I don't have much space where I am at the moment to plant a garden!! Argh! I hate "that" part of it! We have had tons of rain here in Texas also so perhaps it's good they are in buckets.. :-)

Thanx for the input. I have used miracle grow and special Tomato fertilizer..I just don't want them to die now, and I thought they needed some extra nutrient at this stage.. lol.

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C.L. R. May 7, 2009, 8:01am EDT

I use Epsom Salt. 1 tablespoon in a quart of water or more water -- however much you need to water every couple of weeks--helps blooms come and set (so they say). The leaves are always a dark green, too. You can also just sprinkle it around the top and when you water it will work it's way down. Once every once in a while (maybe two or three times a growing season) I grind up a tums and mix it in--gives it calcium.

You can search epsom salt and tomato plants and find more.

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C.L. R. May 7, 2009, 8:02am EDT

My plants are in the ground--but I remember reading some fertilizers build up in the soil in a pot, but I thought it said epsom salt did not--so search it out to be sure.

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Kelly P. May 7, 2009, 8:37am EDT

awww I haven't even gotten mine planted yet...

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Syed The Shah May 8, 2009, 1:16pm EDT

Use animal dung as a fertilizer, my uncle once used bats scat...

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phil w. May 10, 2009, 9:31pm EDT

You've got tomatoes already? You need to be telling me how to do it! Great.

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Merry W. May 11, 2009, 1:46am EDT

thanks for the comments!

Syed, for the moment I am in the city, and other than my puppies "poo", I have none available. I did buy a bag of I think it's "black cow compost".. so I may add some of that.

These babies are so good, we just wanna eat them like apples!! Only have two bushes though so we can't... Argh!!

CL sent me a couple of links I'm gonna check out too!!

Thank you CL!!!

Sorry phil, would send you some but I've only got to bushes!!! ... I sent u a ping though :-)

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Syed The Shah May 11, 2009, 5:54pm EDT

Yeah, always use dung of mammals and animals eat green...
No worries, you can bring it in bags in dry form, so you can use easily in the future...

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Elaine D. May 12, 2009, 3:15am EDT

Wow, look at you........5 tomatoes already! Holy Cow! Good for you guys. It's kind of funny as only today my husband and I made our list for what we will be planting this year. We generally wait to plant up here for the first or second week after Mother's Day weekend. Don't want to get nailed with a late frost. I wish I could share with you our abundant horse manure compost. Horse manure, while it does contain weed seeds as horses are not ruminants (cows have two stomachs for their food to move thru while horses only have the one stomach to digest their food) is an acidic manure for compost which is good for acid loving plants and vegetables.

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♥¤ J K¤ ♥ May 13, 2009, 1:09am EDT

Sorry, I've never grown my own but thought I'd check out everyone's advice as I may try it this year. I can't believe that you have tomatoes already!

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Beverly T. May 13, 2009, 2:48am EDT

Tomatoes need DEEP watering. Let it dry in between watering sessions, but then water them deeply.

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Marilyn is looking for whatever there is. N. May 25, 2009, 10:08am EDT

I'm going to be growing mine (first time too) IF we ever stop this crazy weather here, in pots for the first time too, and it's not uncommon for you to get the fruit from first blooms till the first frost. They do need enough water, make sure that they get enough sun (which you're already doing as you've had tomatoes already), I know people have had luck with miracle grow, and my Dad used to use cow manure or horse manure, easy when you're out in the country, but they do sell it in garden supply stores (bagged and dried) too.

Wow, I'm jealous :)

Marilyn

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