[Casey76]

I can't for the life of me find blood fish and bone here in (my little corner of) France.  i can get blood (dried obviously) by itself and horn.  Other popular fertilizers are marine bird guano, feather etc.

Do I really need a 10.10.10 NPK ratio, as I have never seen one.  Just really bizarre ratios 13.6.14, 3.5.9, 7.4.13 etc

What is best for toms/gettes/aubs; peas/beans; peppers/chillies etc?

If any French members could let me know the names of any recommendations, it would be appreciated.  I'd prefer organic, but not totally against inorganic if push comes to shove.

[Deucecoup]

Dont know where you can get it but ive been using Cavemans Bat Guano for a while and thinks its very good.
They may even deliver to you in France btw.

[PAULW]

CASEY
Growmore is 7.7.7. so the 10.10.10. is of the same ratio

[mumofstig]

Well for toms, aub, peppers & gettes you deffo don't want the 13.6.14 as it's too high in nitrogen. I should think the last one is probably nearest to my tomato feed ratio of 4.2.8...if that's any help

[AnnieB]

They don't have a PhD in mathematics.
Just put some fertiliser on them.

7:7:7 == 10:10:10 it is a ratio.
Has a mixture of one teaspoon per litre of 13:6:14 more nitrogen in it then a kilo of 7:7:7 in a litre?

Use the Red tomato feed and forget it all, its a plant.

[Pellynut]

I agree with Annie B - tomato feed is absolutely fine for all fruiting vegetables - and flowers for that matter.   It is higher in potash.

[mumofstig]

I agree with Annie B - tomato feed is absolutely fine for all fruiting vegetables - and flowers for that matter.   It is higher in potash.

Perhaps Casey76 can't get the red tomato feed in france but agree toms require the higher potash feed (which is the last number in the NPK ratio )

[Casey76]

That's right, and almost every fertilizer I've picked up to look at is really low on potassium.

Even fertilizer which is meant for veg and toms is still higher in nitrogen than potassium

So what is a good source of potassium?

I feel a trip to the UK coming on lol

[mumofstig]

Have you got any (untreated) wood you can burn, so that you can use the ashes?

[tode]

Hello, Im in NW France (between Le Mans and Alençon), and am growing tomatoes in a small greenhouse (Montfavet) and outside (Tommy Toe and Supersweet 100).
Inside they are in 30L pots, using ordinary "Terreau horticole" to which I add sand, some garden earth and a pinch of horn (which is just slow-release nitrogen). Once a week I give a tomato fertilizer "Fertiligene" bought at Jardiland which is 16:6:16 I think, but I only give 1/2 the recommended dose. Theyre doing very well: weve already had 4 or 5 kg of toms. Dont worry too much about the ratios, if you buy a Tomato fertiliser you shouldnt go wrong, as long as you dont over do it.
Outside, Ive added some home compost and wood ashes to the soil plus a pinch of horn for each plant. Will start feeding this w/end with the same fertiliser.
If you put all your wood/weed ashes back in the garden there shouldnt be a shortage of potassium and minerals. Do you have a fireplace in the house? Thats a good source of potassium.
Good luck with crop.  PS what tomatoes are you growing?

[Casey76]

Thanks everyone

Tode I think I ended up buying something similar to the 16.6.16, but it is specific tom food.

I have a wide range of toms this year.  Last year i only grew a couple of varieties and I lost every single plant to blight.  I didn't taste a single one.  This year I have Prune Noir, Yellow pear, red pear, green zebra, couer de boeuf, which I bought from a garden centre, and a mixture of golden nugget, red cherry and something else which I grew from seed (and forgot to label d'oh)  The shop-bought toms are in pots and the seed-raised toms are in my raised beds (which were new this year).

I'm a bit behind this year so no toms yet, but they are setting fruit... in a month I'm going to be eatig tomato salad for breakfast lunch and dinner lol.

[tode]

WOW tomatoes all the colours of the rainbow  !!
After posting last message, I went to the shed and read the labels on what I'd got in "stock".  Quite surprised, because I'd bought a bag of the cheapest fertiliser for putting round my trees, and its 10:8:17, which seems just right for toms, and has 3% magnesium added.
I've seen other posts where epsom salts are recommended for them, so this should be the thing. And it was far cheaper than the little packet of Tomato fertiliser.
Will have to work out how to dose it. I suppose about the same amount as any other fertiliser ?
BONNE CHANCE