Tomato growing advice please

[Barbara]

This year I have moved some of my veg to the side garden, it's an ongoing process untill all things from the side are at the back and vice a versa. it's windy place the side garden, so eventually I will be putting up some type of trellis, but as I'm not sure what I really want yet I have made a screen using a large polythene bag and some garden canes, now for the questions I will for the first time be planting my toms. straight into the soil, should I add manure or not.? should I use leaf mould? and can I use nettle feed instead of tomato feed. ? thanks in advance.

[Chuckles]

Not sure what to tell you Barbara. I've had Toms outside but always had them in pots half sunk into the ground and I've watered and fed them just as if they were in the GH. I always use proper tom feed.

[Rosefriend]

I grew toms straight in the ground many years ago and used Pidgeon poo from a friend well dug in in November and then planted them out in the following May.

I then half dug in a small pot next to the tom plant and watered through that instead of just on the earth - I found it was better and the S & S didn't like the dry earth either.

As far as compost - if it too strong it could burn the roots (my reason for adding compost in November) - mmmh... if you put a small amount and then normal earth over that to protect the roots so that the plants grow slowly through the normal earth and then into the compost perhaps?? Sorry to confuse you!!

As far as feeding is concerned - I think that tom food is better as it will have all the correct minerals for fruiting - nettle feed could possibly induce the plants to make more leaves....

I hope someone else can help you more there as the only time I tried to make a nettle food I was told in no uncertain terms to get rid of the "stench"!!

RF

[andy]

I'd just shuck em in and give em a liquid feed weekly. I've found that providing you give toms lots of water, weekly feeds (i use miracle grow), and de-side shoot them regularly, they thrive on a bit of neglect.

[Barbara]

I will let you all know how it goes, I've decided to stick to tomato feed, that way I'll know if planting into the soil was ok, Thanks for your help.

[Chuckles]

That sounds like a good idea to sink a pot in the ground for watering RF. When I half sunk my Tom pots I water ed around the base of the pot one time and the top of the pot the next time, not sure why really but thats what I did ;D

[Barbara]

I use a plastic lemonade bottle with the bottom cut off, pushed into the ground for watering straight to the roots of things.

[Tig]

Don't tomatoes feed a bit differently from other stuff? I think I've read that they like plenty of water to their bottom roots, but the top roots (those that grow from the stem when you plant them deeper) are the ones that feed the fruit production, hence if you put them in a pot with the bottom cut out so that the ordinary roots go into the soil you can feed into the pot and just water round the bottom - of course I could be just having another one of my senior moments and I've imagined it

x Tig

[Ladygardener]

Yes I've heard that tomatoes should be watered from the roots at the bottom but fed from the top if they're in pots. With the lemonade bottles/small pots being used to water down at the roots then it would be easier to feed from the top. However it works good luck to all of us. I keep mine in pots but will put some in the ground at the allotment.

[Chuckles]

Apr 6, 2011 7:27:10 GMT Ladygardener said:

Yes I've heard that tomatoes should be watered from the roots at the bottom but fed from the top if they're in pots.

Yes yes yes thought I was going barmy ;D I knew there was a reason and more to it than I could recall, thanks LG