How Can I Improve the Taste of Container Grown Tomatoes?

[rnewste]

Without generalizing too much, I have found over the years that in-the-dirt tomato plants have yielded the better tasting tomatoes as compared with those at the other end of the spectrum, grown hydroponically. Container grown tomatoes fall in somewhere between, but closer to in-the-ground ones, in my past experience.

This season I want to "experiment" with some additional additives to try to get as close as I can in EarthTainer growing, to the "in-the-ground" taste parity. In addition to the Tomato-tone fertilizer with the additional micro-nutrients they add, I will be using Actinovate, which the package claims: "Enhances plant vitality; Encourages larger root systems". While I am always skeptical of package claims, I have personally verified that Actinovate did give me much larger and more vigorous Oregon Snow Pea plants vs. no additive.

In reading a Thread on another forum, it is claimed that addition of Sea Salt improves the flavor and BRIX level of the tomatoes. While I don't want to dump some seawater into the 'Tainer and "wing it", possibly killing off all my plants, I have been thinking about adding some Greensand into the Potting Mix as a better substitute.

Again, I would like to make these additive decisions based on scientific reasoning rather than old wives tales, so if there is some solid basis on what additives I could experiment with (and not clog up the wicking action of the EarthTainer medium), I would appreciate any suggestions - - either what DID work, and just as valuable, what DID NOT work for you.

Thanks,

Ray

[dokutaaguriin]

I have heard that in Japan one very famous tomato grower adds nigari to his water mix. Nigari is derived from seawater.
Nigari is a natural coagulant to turn soy milk into tofu.

From Wikipedia:
Culinary use
Magnesium chloride is an important coagulant used in the preparation of tofu from soy milk. In Japan it is sold as nigari (にがり, derived from the Japanese word for "bitter"), a white powder produced from seawater after the sodium chloride has been removed, and the water evaporated. In China it is called "lushui" (卤水 in Chinese). Nigari or Lushui consists mostly of magnesium chloride, with some magnesium sulfate and other trace elements. It is also an ingredient in baby formula milk.

Jeff

[amideutch]

Ray. Go to the following site and check out their "High Brix Gardening Kit". This is Thomas Giannou's site "T&J Enterprises. It includes their BioVam mycorrhiza, biosol 7-2-3 organic fertilizer, Planters II trace mineral fertilizer, Calcium kit, Microbe tea and Yucca. The kit is good for seven 2 cubic foot containers or 14 square feet of soil. Might be a good test for "Ray Buster's" Tainer farm. And it's Organic. Here's the link.

http://www.tandjenterprises.com/index.html

[rnewste]

Thanks Ami, this site truly amazes me for the collective knowledge that TV members possess (kind of scary though - - Dr. Strangelove personalities)??

Ray

[dice]

Peaceful Valley has a 2-part product called "Brix Mix", a bit
pricy (need to buy a 60-lb bag of the powder and 5 gallons
of the liquid for $120US each):

The dry part:
http://www.groworganic.com/item_F237...der_60_lb.html

The liquid part:
http://www.groworganic.com/item_F242..._5_Gallon.html

It is a foliar/fertigation type product (mixed with water and
applied as a liquid). At those quantities, it may be more suitable
for people with an acre of tomatoes than for a few Earthtainers
in your backyard.

Whatever you use, how are you going to tell if it worked?

Salt and seawater are kind of a double-edged sword (brix may
go up but production go down, assuming that you don't kill
the plant outright by using too much).

Edit:
I see that Peaceful Valley has smaller quantities of the Brix Mix
products available, too (I missed the links to them when looking
it up initially):
Dry:
http://www.groworganic.com/item_F235...wder_3_Lb.html
Liquid:
http://www.groworganic.com/item_F240...uid_Quart.html

[rnewste]

Thanks dice for the links.

I guess what I am looking for is a more "in-the-dirt" kind of flavor result that my current (soiless) potting mix doesn't provide. Hard to describe exactly, but I am trying to replicate in a container, a similar taste profile that I used to get from my raised bed tomatoes.

I know achieving 100% of that goal is impossible - - but I thought an amendment like GreenSand or something similar would help get me toward my quest.

Ray

[dice]

Besides the greensand, one could try mixing earthworm
castings into your container mix. That usually contains
a wealth of beneficial microfauna, besides the modest
levels of N-P-K, etc.

You probably do not want to overdo that if you plan on reusing
most of the mix (loss of air space), just a couple of handfuls
to inoculate the container.

[rnewste]

dice,

Yes, I need to strike a careful "balance" in not screwing up the vital wicking action of the potting mix itself - - or all would be lost! The earthworm castings might be a prudent approach used, as you say, sparingly.

Any other earthy "flavor enhancement" soil ideas that you all may have to add to the potting mix??

Ray

[newatthiskat]

What about molasses? I would think that a little put in with the water might increase the Brix. Just a thought. Do you have one of those things that tests Brix? You could try one Earth Tainer without Molasses or some other container additive and actually test the Brix to see if it is different. That way you actually have numbers to it.
Kat

[Tania]

Ray,

My container grown tomatoes always have better, more intense/concentrated flavor than the ones I grow in the main garden. I always thought the reason for it was uneven watering and container mix drying up completely in hot days. Not sure if I am correct in my assumption, but I had no other reasonable explanation.

Another thing is that I do not grow my container tomatoes in a soiless mix. I mix manure, compost, some soil, and peat moss to make my own container mix.

I water my main garden tomatoes with a mix of molasses, liquid fish and seaweed every two weeks. I do the same for container-grown tomatoes, only without molasses (as I never remember to bring it back from the main garden ).

Tania

[rnewste]

Hi Tania,

I guess my challenge is a bit more difficult than "normal" container growing, as my 'Tainers need to wick up moisture from a water reservoir to work properly. So adding manure, for example, would likely break the capillary wicking properties that the SWC 'Tainer needs.

So while I am limited to a soiless potting mix due to the physics of the wicking action, I still would like to come up with an additive blend of additional elements to more closely replicate the taste of good ole in-ground tomatoes. Dice has some interesting ideas that I may experiment with. The 'Tainer environment is a pretty uniform "clinical" platform to conduct "A/B" comparisons, as Kat suggested.

Ray

[Tania]

I see your challenge Ray...

Sorry I cannot help, as I am a 'normal' container grower, and a very 'sloppy' one when it comes to watering my tomatoes
That's why I always admired your 'Tainers'.

Tania

[nctomatoman]

I've also not really found a problem with flavors of containers grown tomatoes vs those in the soil. Not that I can really generalize - two years ago my Cherokee Purples were amongst the best I ever tasted, last year they were bland. I had nearly 100 in containers - some were great, some not so great, but the same with those in the soil. I just think that the variety and the particular season are very significant factors. And I use mostly soilless mix with some composted cow manure, and only minimally feed.

[seymour_man]

Ray

I understand what you are driving at. I grow in containers and wonder if I am missing something not going "au natural" so to speak.

But the one assumption i would be making is that the difference in taste is due to the soil. I would think I would have to eliminate or control all other variables to reach that conclusion.

Same variety, same stage of ripeness, same feeding, same amount of water, same part of season, same sunshine, etc would have to be controlled before one could say the differences would be soil. And then of course I would have to control the tasting. Do I do it blind? Gather other opinions?

I decided it was way too much work. I decided to slice a big slab of ripe tomato, salt and pepper and mayo between 2 slices of squishy white bread and enjoy.

Duane

[cottonpicker]

Ray.....

I might suggest you try seaweed extract as I plan to do this season. Have read quite a lot on the subject & have decided it's worth trying. Seaweed extract inhances the benefits of mycorrhiza & other soil microbes in making the soil nutrients more available for uptake by rootlets. There are several other benefits attributed to seaweed extract and you may wish to google it for yourself. Good luck!