Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Hose A on December 01, 2018, 16:58

Title: Spent tomato potting compost
Post by: Hose A on December 01, 2018, 16:58
Hi all, just finished emptying my tomato pots and bagged up the old compost when a thought came to me! In the spring I always sow my potatoes in trenches but I do lay them on a good bed of peat and completely cover the tubers also with peat before back filling the trench so I'm wondering if the spent compost would be a good alternative or am I inviting trouble in view of the fact that potatoes and tomatoes are the same family? If anyone has any thoughts on this I would happy to hear them.

Cheers Hose A
Title: Re: Spent tomato potting compost
Post by: sunshineband on December 01, 2018, 17:20
There is one vital thing to bear in mind there:

1. Spores of Late Blight persist on/in living plant material, either tomato or potato. Are ou absolutely certain there is not even a shred of tomato in the spent compost?

and I know you usually use peat, which has little nutrient value, so therefore spent compost should be fine, but most commercial mpcs are alkaline, which would encourage potato scab, whilst peat is slightly acidic and would give a degree of protection

I wouldn't. but I am sure opinions vary. There are usually lots of different ways of looking at things!

Title: Re: Spent tomato potting compost
Post by: DHM on December 03, 2018, 17:41
Having suffered blight on both toms and pots this year I've learnt the hard way how ridiculously easily this stupid disease spreads and how devastating it can be to crops. Therefore I personally wouldn't tempt fate by growing pots in spent tomato compost.
Title: Re: Spent tomato potting compost
Post by: DD. on December 17, 2018, 05:49
I have trouble with badgers on my allotment plot, and whilst I have managed to keep them off the carrots this year, thanks to a tonne of metalwork, I had a cunning backup plot, so at least we had some carrots for Christmas 

I dug out a trench behind the greenhouse at home, a spade wide 6' long and a foot deep, then filled it with the previous year's compost. In this I sowed two rows about 6" apart and them thinned the plants to 3" apart with the rows staggered.

I have the best carrots I've ever grown, the one in the picture has not even been washed!
Title: Re: Spent tomato potting compost
Post by: mumofstig on December 17, 2018, 08:30
Mmm, I could do that in my garden,  at the mo the used g/house compost is stored in 2 plastic dustbins..
my plot is heavy clay, so this sounds like a very good idea  ;)