Now's the Time to Feed your Tomatoes

In order to get the best from your vegetable garden, it's important to feed your plants on a regular basis. This is especially true if you’re growing tomatoes and peppers. Tomatoes and peppers are heavy-feeders, meaning they require plenty 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. Start with the basics. 

Every garden fertilizer should 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 helps rooting and blooming. The third number is Potassium. Potassium plays a key role in overall plant development. 

An effective organic tomato and pepper fertilizer would typically contain numbers such as 5-7-3, 2-5-3 or 5-10-5. 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 the tomato plant can absorb them through the 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.  

Solutions for mid-summer tomato problems

Mid-summer can often bring problems for tomato plants, including Blossom End Rot, Leaf Curl and Blossom Drop. Some of these problems can be attributed to the weather. Tomato plants do best when the daytime temperatures are between 65-degrees and 85-degrees Fahrenheit. When the daytime temperatures are consistently above 90 degrees, growth slows down and fruit set stops. 

Leaves will begin to curl in response to the stress of high temperatures. The plant does this to reduce the surface area and slow down loss of moisture. Your tomato plant can still be productive if you practice good watering habits and add mulch around the base of the plant. Best practices for watering tomatoes include regular deep, thorough soaking at the base of the plant. Avoid overhead watering. Adding two to three inches of Mountain Magic Soil Pep mulch around the base will stabilize the ground and reduce moisture loss. It’s also important to know that leaf curl can occur due to insect stress. 

Western flower thrips are common in this area and can cause leaf curl as well as fruit loss due to Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus. To know for certain, bring us a leaf sample. We’ll scope it and determine the cause of the leaf curl. If it’s thrips, we’ll recommend an application of Dusting Sulfur to bring them under control. For poor blossom set, use Ferti-Lome Tomato and Pepper set. 

Tomatoes need nutrients in order to produce the best fruit consistently. Happy Frog Tomato and Vegetable contains the right balance of Nitrogen and Phosphate to support the best fruit production. 

To treat Blossom End Rot, be consistent with deep watering and apply a liquid calcium directly on the leaves and fruit, using Ferti-Lome's Yield Booster. When it comes to growing tomatoes, many factors can influence fruit quality and production. A trip to The Flower Bin Diagnostic Center will ensure you know what to do to get the best from your tomato plants.