Topic: Organic Tomato Dilemma

[Moggle]

What organic feed can I give to tomatoes in containers other than comfrey?
My comfrey root cuttings are now in pots, but I won't get a harvest from them this year. If all else fails I will go back to tomorite like last year, but is there anything organic I can give them?
Will be growing in pots and half-growbags. Will ones in the open ground need feeding?

[aquilegia]

I found an organic tomato feed last year (can't remember the name and I finished the bottle).

If you look at the Organic catalogue they have an organic tomato feed and comfrey liquid and also things like Organic Potash.

Last year I occassionally fed my tomatoes in the ground. They still produced more fruit that those in pots and bags which were regularly fed.

[Moggle]

Cheers Aqui

Why don't they have it in little bottles though?  :) Any ideas for something cheap and cheerful?

[the_snail]

If you have some well rotted muck and a spear waterbutt then you can put some muck un the waterbutt and fill full of water. This makes a muck solution which you can water around the base of the plants. Also you can use rotted comfery leaves in water. Just put a load of comfrey leaves in a bucket of water leave them for 2 weeks and the resulting liqure is exerlent organic plant food for yor crops :)

[slugcatcher]

Years ago my dad used the slurry from a local farm. Its the "you no what" (pee & poo) from the milking parlour that is washed out after the milking.
It is really strong both in smell and strenghth but oh boy does it make stuff grow when watered down as a feed.

Think I might get some when I get sorted.

[Derek]

A new idea to me that was passed on by a long time allotment gardener....grass 'tea'

He had a dustbin complete with lid into which he placed his grass cuttings (No chemicals used on them) then added half a bucket of water...he topped up regularly with grass cuttings.

The resulting mix was as foul smelling as Comfey and required dilution to the constituency of cold tea before use ...he swore by it and gave me a couple of bottles of the brew to try...not used it yet though.

Anyone else tried this? ...Certainly cheap and cheerful

Derek

[Doris_Pinks]

Derek,I make the nettle tea, everyone runs when I take the lid off the bucket, and don't splash any on you you can smell it for days! ;D ;D (actually come to think of it, there is still some of last years brewing in the bucket....ohhh err, now thats gonna pong! :o

[wardy]

The manure liquid works but it has to be well diluted  :)  I have a row of comfrey plants nearby to a tub of spuds I'm growing in manure.  The plant nearest the run off from the spuds is by far the biggest.  :)

[djbrenton]

Unfortunately, retaile organics seem to be a rip off. We buy 20 litres of Maxicrop at a time for the shop and sell it in recycled bottles for £2.80 a litre. instead of £6.99. It just shows how much you can pay for a plastic bottle.

[derbex]

Wood ash? Or wood ash tea?

Jeremy

[Derek]

Sounds like a good excuse for a 'bonnie' to me  ;)

Derek

[Moggle]

Cheers everyone, I will see how I go with some of those tips. Have already tried to make some nettle 'tea' - very stinky  :-X

Would wood ash or manure have enough potash for toms? OH and father-in-law had a bonfire last weekend. Ash might still be there!

[Moggle]

Right, sent OH to get a couple of spade fulls of the ash from the bonfire. They are more coals than ash, is it all the same? Do I just need to squish it down with a spade?

Okay to apply a little around the plants I want to feed?

[wardy]

I've had loads of bonfires while clearing my huge overgrown allotment and I save all the wood ash.  I'm actually making my beds over the bits where I;ve had fires and using a bulb planter to put broad beans and peas in etc.  I'm making nettle and comfrey tea to feed my plants. I've just planted some of the Bocking 14 comfreys so hopefully I'll have lots of feeds for my plants  :)