[Spana]

What do you all use to feed your toms?  Buy a bottle, make your own, don't feed or do something else.

I grow mine in the greenhouse border.  I dig big holes and fill with fresh soil and leaf mould and plant in that.  Last year i didn't feed them at all and cant say i noticed much difference in the yield. So , what do you all do.  Is there anything that really makes a difference?

[granjan]

Sounds like it's time for an experiment, half and half.  Bob Flowerdew advocates not feeding them as you get a better flavour.  It makes sense if the soil is in good heart.

I grow my tomatoes outside.  Last year, the gardener expert on BBC Radio Coventry and Warwickshire recommended using the contents of the vacuum cleaner, lightly forked in round the plants.  He said it had all the nutrients that the tomatoes need.  I'm started doing that this year.  I like the idea of using a waste product and it will certainly be slow-release which can't be bad.

[mumofstig]

I think if you start off with decent soil, then they don't need extra feeding.
Unfortunately my soil is not in a good enough condition yet, so I do liquid feed occasionally, and i use epsom salts if they start showing magnesium deficiency.

I think for flavour, you have to be careful with watering. They need enough but if you water a lot then this seems to dilute the flavour of the toms.

[Trillium]

I'm with MoS - I rarely feed my toms during their growth as I try to make the soil as rich and healthy as I can and the toms can feed from there. Same with watering - they need enough to avoid blossom end rot but not so much that they crack and lose their flavour. It's a fine balance, one that comes with experience.

[Kristen]

I used to feed mine as per the packet.  Cost a packet lesson learnt.

Have fed less-and-less over the years. Now I use the greenhouse border as final-stage-compost heap replacing the "soil" each year with half compost heap half rotted manure, and then it is beautifully friable fully-finish material to go on the beds.

This year I have top dressed with wood ash (not coal ash) from the fire to give them some extra Phosphate.

I too have Epson Salts at the ready - and expect to have to use it (based on previous years).

[strangerachael]

I use comfrey leaves, torn up and spread on the surface around the plants. No need to make the stinky liquid. Got lovely toms last year.

[Livinhope]

Oh dear .  Now I'm completely baffled.  I grow my tomatoes in buckets outside, against a South Westerly facing wall in a mixture of well rotted compost and commercial compost with water retaining gel and a sprinkle of growmore.  When the first fruits set they then get a dose of tomato feed every Friday.  They are also never allowed to dry out completely.   Am I giving them too much tlc?

[Yorkie]

Sounds about right livinhope 

[solway cropper]

This is the first year my indoor toms have been fed entirely on home-made seaweed feed and it's the first year they've shown no sign of magnesium defficiency. In fact the foliage looks amazingly healthy and most have two trusses set and a third flowering. I only made about 4 gallons of feed which I dilute but it has to go round a lot of containers so next year I'm going for 10 gallons of gloopy seaweed soup.

[Kristen]

Oh dear .  Now I'm completely baffled.  I grow my tomatoes in buckets outside, against a South Westerly facing wall in a mixture of well rotted compost and commercial compost with water retaining gel and a sprinkle of growmore.  When the first fruits set they then get a dose of tomato feed every Friday.  They are also never allowed to dry out completely.   Am I giving them too much tlc?

In Pots / Buckets they will need more frequent watering and feeding than if grown in the soil. But I think you can feed less than the normal Tomato feed bottle says ... and you can get cheaper, but just as effective, Tomato feed than Tomorite - took me years to wean myself off Tomorite! think of how much I would have saved ... (not implying that you are using Tomorite ... but if you are worth considering something else when the bottle is empty ...)

[Livinhope]

I must admit my plants look fantastic but sometimes this can be to the detriment of the fruit.  But if you think I,m doing the right thing, whoopee!

I think the tomato feed came from Wilcos, it's definitely not Tomorite, it was bought last year and I seem to remember it was buy one get one half price.

No watering today it's been raining for 14 hours solid.