An organic tomato fertilizer is just the thing to give your tomatoes
an extra boost and get them growing strong. We recommend organic fertilizers
over chemical fertilizers as they are typically just as effective and
pose no health risk to you, your family, or your pets.
This fertilizer is especially designed for tomatoes, and with one five
pound bag you can treat a garden plot that is about 150 square feet in
size. This is more than enough for the average home gardener. Tomato-tone
works great for tomatoes that are growing both in containers and in your
garden plot.
When using Tomato-tone, all you have to do is apply the fertilizer to
the soil and work it in to at least 5 inches deep before you plant your
tomatoes. Once the plants are established, you can give them supplemental
feedings by adding a couple of teaspoons to each plant twice a month.
This natural polymer is designed to help your soil retain water and keep
your plants moist, even during the hottest weeks of the growing season.
A solid water polymer works through osmosis, feeding the roots a gradual
and sustained supply of water over time. This will considerably reduce
the amount of water you use for your garden.
This polymer will last all growing season, and is not affected by extreme
weather conditions or high soil pressure. Even though it stays wet for
long periods, the polymer will never mold or mildew.
Mycorrhizal fungi are tiny, harmless critters that attach themselves
to plant roots and actually help plants to make use of organic chemicals
in the soil. You can stimulate the growth of Mycorrhizal fungi and get
them to work more efficiently with GreenSense Mycor Root Builder. Mycor
Root Builder contains Endomycorrhiza, Ectomycorrhiza, Scleroderma, Kelp,
Zeolite, and Humate. It will work great on your tomatoes and all the plants
in your garden, including turf grass. You can use it directly on your
new transplants or use a coring drill or auger to penetrate deeper into
the soil for established plants.
Tomatoes are unfortunately very attractive to a variety of bugs. In many
cases you can pick the large ones off with your fingers. But if you have
a serious problem with pests, you’ll probably want to use some sort
of spray to help control them. Gardeners all over the world have found
that natural citrus-based insecticides will kill off most of the pests
you’re likely to see munching on your tomatoes.
SharpShooter Organic Insecticide is a tried and true spray designed to
kill most common garden pests, including cut worms, caterpillars, snails,
slugs, aphids, bean beetles, cabbage loopers, earwigs, flea beetles, Japanese
beetles, leafhoppers, mealybugs, mites, rose chafers, scales, and adult
whiteflies. It is even safe enough to use indoors if you happen to have
other plants growing in containers that you’d like to treat.
Another way to keep insects and even animals out of your garden and away
from your tomatoes is with this Hot Pepper Wax spray. Animals and insects
are instantly repelled by the strong cayenne pepper oils. The spray lightly
adheres to the plants with a natural food grade wax, and therefore won’t
run off when you water your plants or after a heavy rain.
If it sounds like you’re going to be turning your tomato patch
into a salsa factory, not to worry, you can harvest your tomatoes and
eat them without any spicy residue on the same day you sprayed your plants.
They just need a good washing and they’re ready to eat!
This is also the perfect product if you have a lot of edible crops to
protect in addition to your tomatoes. It works to repel most insects and
animals such as squirrels, gophers, chipmunks, and hedgehogs.
If your tomatoes are struggling and you don’t see any signs of
pests or diseases, chances are you have a problem with your soil conditions.
The best way to treat the problem is to identify what’s wrong and
correct your soil accordingly. For example, your plants may not be healthy
if you have improper soil pH or poor drainage.
An electronic soil tester is a great little gadget that will easily diagnose
the problem and let you know when you’ve got your soil just right.
Multipurpose soil testers are easy to use and usually include readings
like soil pH, soil moisture, total combined nitrogen and phosphorus levels,
and potash levels. They’ll also tell you the intensity of the light
hitting your plants so you’ll know if it’s too shady or too
intense.
Once you have the proper pH, nutrient levels, drainage, and light levels,
your tomatoes will be able to efficiently make use of water and the nutrients
in the soil. This will make them less susceptible to diseases and pests,
and will save you time and energy taking care of them.
Weeding is never a fun chore, but it is critical to the health of your
tomatoes. Weeds compete with your tomatoes for water and nutrients, and
can often host pests and disease.
A hand circle hoe is an excellent tool that is designed to remove even
the most stubborn weeds by the roots. Even if the plants are close together,
the circle hoe is designed to allow you to work around individual plants
without damaging them. In addition to removing weeds, the circle hoe will
work the soil for you, and unlike traditional hoes, it will leave the
soil in place after you’ve picked up the weed. If you have containers
or raised beds, the circle hoe works great as well!
Ever thought of growing your tomatoes upside down? That’s exactly
what you can do with the Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter. Why would you want
to grow your tomatoes this way? Because this unique growing system eliminates
the need for tomato cages, tying, and staking, and cuts maintenance time
in half.
You control the soil mixture, so your plants are less susceptible to diseases,
and as your plants are off the ground, most pests can’t get to them!
Additionally, you won’t have to worry about digging a hole, cultivating,
or even weeding. There is no place for weeds to take hold, so they’re
never really a problem.
If you’re not convinced, you should know that the Topsy Turvy planter
won one of Time Magazine’s “Amazing Inventions” awards
for 2005. Not only does it work great for tomatoes, you can also grow
peppers, cucumbers, and a variety of veggies or flowers. Also, if you
have little to no space for gardening in your home, the Topsy Turvy planter
is a perfect solution, as it fits on most patios and decks.
Tomato cages are a very useful tool to keep your tomatoes from becoming
too spindly and sprawling. This unusual Vegetable and Tomato Cage will
keep your plants supported and growing strong. However, it’s not
what you’d think of as a traditional tomato cage. It’s designed
as a series of concentric circles that collapses into a coil. When you
place the cage on top of a stake and attach it to ground, the tomato plant
grows and supports itself on the rings. Although it is quite flexible,
once the plant fills out, the structure becomes rigid because of the weight
and volume of the plant. All you really need to do is guide the vines
of your tomato plant through the coils as they grow so that they fill
inside the space of the cage. After your tomato plant is mature, you’ll
find that the tomato is growing lush, full, and strong.
An integrated watering and weeding system is a great idea that I wish
I’d thought of! The Watering Weedless Wonder is actually a weed
barrier with a built in soaker hose. The weed barrier is porous so it
will keep weeds from taking root while allowing rain to soak through.
This means you won’t have to water as frequently in the rainy season.
The soaker hose delivers a slow, deep watering to your plants when used
correctly.
When using this device, you still have to do a little preparation to
get your garden plot set up, but you’ll save plenty of time in weeding
and watering once you’re done. All you need to do is work the soil,
lay the mat over your garden, sow your seeds or plant your starter plants,
cover with an organic mulch, and you’re set! This handy gadget will
cover 15 feet of planting space. As your tomatoes won’t be competing
with weeds for moisture and nutrients, you can expect to see healthier
plants with higher yields!
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