Another fertilizer question...

[Southern Gardener]

My dad and I planted the same tomatoes at the same time - he planted his in pots and mine are in the ground. I haven't seen his in about a week until last night - and his are MUCH bigger than mine! Ours both have good sized tomatoes, but mine are much smaller plants. He said he used 8-8-8.

I do have alot of clay soil and amended it as much as I could. Should I use 8-8-8 for my entire garden? I have planted squash, 4 types of tomatoes, cukes, pole beans, peppers, eggplant.

I have no idea what my squash and beans should look like right now! Any advice?

Thanks!
Joan

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Usually an 8-8-8 works well.

You might want to test your soil to see if it's lacking any nutrients specifically.

I've learned to love my clay soil. They usually help keep nutrients in so don't worry too much about that. Do make sure you are not overwatering them or not watering deeply enough. Tomatoes love a good deep watering about 3 times a week.

It might also depend on the variety. Some hybrids actually slow the growing process once they start to set fruits. We actually pinch flowers and suckers on some plants to promote growth and stronger stems, although this is sometimes hard to do we find it helps with overall production and plant health.

Calcium deficiency is a problem that sometimes affects tomatoes although usually affecting fruits. Our solution for that is to take some crushed egg shells and work them into the soil around the tomatoes.

Nematodes are also a problem for tomatoes. They are tiny worms that feed on the roots of plants, preventing them from taking all the water and nutrients they need. We've found that marigolds help ward off nematodes. Also, purchasing beneficial nematodes will also help control the not so beneficial ones.

What variety are your tomatoes?
How long have they been in the ground?
Are they receiving full sun?

As far as the squash and beans, any plant that is healthy will look like just that. It should have new growth constantly and seem perky and alive. No signs of disease or pests.

 

[Southern Gardener]

Oakland thanks for the reply!

I have:

Sweet 100's
Celebrity
Big boy's
1 Heirloom - Brandywine
and one other I can't remember right now!

They do get full sun - they've been in the ground for a little over a month and I have marigolds planted throughout the garden and have had no sign of pests.

We had 6" of rain last thursday and I watered some yesterday. The tomatoes look really healthy (although the tomatoes look so small for such large fruit!) as does all of my other plants - I'll try the eggshells and see what happens.

Thanks!
Joan

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

That's really the only thing I can think of that would cause stunted growth. Either a calcium deficiency or poor drainage/over watering. Put plenty of eggshells down (about 2 per plant) and then wait a week and see what happens.

Did you remove suckers or otherwise prune at all?

If they don't start growing soon then you might have to make sure you support the plants and fruits if not they may break.

 

[Southern Gardener]

Don't suckers grow from the base of the plant? If they do - I didn't have any and haven't pruned at all - I have already staked a few that were starting to flop over...

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Suckers usually grow at the base of the plant and the term suckers also refers to shoots that grow from the axils of the plant.

The idea behind it is that removing these suckers helps the plant receive sun even in the center of the plant so it can take the most out of photosynthesis and produce the sugars that are needed for plant growth and fruit production.

We only prune a few varieties and I can honestly say it is not always necessary. In your case, I'm not sure if the plants have enough leaves or suckers to shade out the inside anyway.

I would fertilize and add the egg shell. See how it goes. Good luck!

 

[Southern Gardener]

Went home last night and got busy in the garden - I loosened the soil - it was somewhat compacted - fertilized and I'll add eggshells tonight.

 

[bills]

No doubt the 8-8-8 helped, but the main difference in size may be that yours were finding the soil a little on the cold side, compared to your Dads soil, in pots. I find tomato's often seem to lets say "hesitate" after first putting them in the ground. I think they are slightly shocked.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

No doubt the 8-8-8 helped, but the main difference in size may be that yours were finding the soil a little on the cold side, compared to your Dads soil, in pots. I find tomato's often seem to lets say "hesitate" after first putting them in the ground. I think they are slightly shocked.

Soil temp is something I didn't even consider, bills, good thinking. I guess I get too caught up in the nice warm california temps we have.

 

[Southern Gardener]

Well that does make sense. I planted in April and it was cool, then we had a couple of cold snaps after they were in the ground.