Now’s The Time to Feed your Tomatoes

 

When it comes to getting the best from your vegetable garden, it’s important to understand the role fertilizers play in achieving optimal yields. Not all vegetables require supplemental fertilization. Light feeders such as beans, peas, carrots and radishes will do very well growing in soil that’s been amended with high-grade compost. Tomatoes and peppers are heavy-feeders, meaning they require a steady supply of organic food in order to produce their best yields. This is especially true at this point in the season, when they’re flowering, setting fruit and trying to cope with summer’s high temperatures. There are a number of good vegetable garden fertilizers available, both organic and non-organic, so the choices may seem complicated. 

Let’s start with the basics. Liquid or granular, every fertilizer will list the three major ingredients on the front of the container in this order: Nitrogen, Phosphate and Potash. The first number on the label is always Nitrogen. Nitrogen promotes plant growth. The second number is Phosphate. Phosphate plays a key role in growing strong roots as well as promoting fruit set and production. The third number is Potassium. Potassium is important to overall plant development. A good organic tomato and pepper fertilizer would typically contain numbers such as 4-9-3, 2-5-3 or 2-4-2. 

The number represents the percentage of each major component in the package. Note,  in each case the middle number is the highest, putting an emphasis on fruit production rather than plant growth. Good organic fertilizers will also contain elements such as Mycorrhizae and Bacillus designed to improve the soil microbiome, as well as enhance nutrient uptake. The presence of an OMRI seal on the package is your assurance the product has been certified organic according to the Organic Material Review Board. Fertilizers are most effective when plants can absorb them through the roots.  There are fertilizers that can be sprayed on, but for lasting results, tomatoes and peppers do best when taking up nutrients from their roots. Granular fertilizers are applied around the base of the plant at the rate of two to three cups per ten square feet. Liquid fertilizers are mixed and used to water at the base of the plant, being careful to avoid getting the foliage wet. Beyond basic ingredients, fertilizer effectiveness is determined by a number of factors, including soil structure, pH and fertility. If you have questions, stop in and let’s have a conversation about which fertilizer is best for your garden.