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Old July 7, 2017   #17
gdaddybill
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Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Burton, TX
Posts: 294
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I feel like I need to elaborate some on my previous post. Getting a soil test is a good idea, especially when you're first starting to work with a new soil or soil mix. If you were growing hydroponically you'd be testing all the time. Most of us though start with a good garden soil, hopefully enriched with organic matter. Pre-plant it's often good to start with 2-4 pounds of a complete fertilizer per 100 sq ft like 15-5-10 or use an organic blend at the rate recommended on the bag. Most of us use a good organic fertilizer in the planting hole (4-4-3 for example) or you can make a starter solution with a soluble fertilizer like 20-20-20 at about 1/3 strength and a pint per plant. From here on I watch the plants and I've used everything from slow release lawn fertilizer (the cheap kind without weed killer-weed killer for turf is a no-no in the vegetable garden) to calcium nitrate. The slow release fertilizer is less likely to burn but with soluble fertilizers its best to use a little bit more often--a tablespoon per 2 ft of row, out a foot or more from the plant should be fine and water it in thoroughly. If your transplants rapidly develop stems thicker than your thumb you may be supplying too much nitrogen. Heirlooms especially seem to grow wild and forget to set tomatoes. I'm guilty of pushing too hard so--not one to lecture on the subject. Growing in containers can be a challenge but a number of Tomatovillians do it so there's lots of discussion on the subject. Good luck with your tomato patch! The BLTs are worth it.
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