The Grass Doctor

I want to grow tomatoes, what kind of fertilizer should I get, and how should I plant them?

I live in TN and have alot of clay

Public Comments

1. If you have compost, that is the best. If not, cow manure is very good (sounds disgusting I know) you can buy bags at Lowes or Home Depot. Also, fertilize with a general fertiler (Miracle Grow)every couple of weeks after they start producing. This has worked well for me in the past.
2. I prefer Miracle Grow for fertilizer. It is easy to buy plant and set them out. You can start from seeds but it takes more effort and you have less variety. Plant the plants about ever 3 to 4 feet in the row and have at least 4 feet between rows. The plants will get big and spread out alot. You will want to stake them when they start growing (tie limbs up of ground to keep tomatoes from spoiling on vine) or cage them. You do not have to. Put the plants into the ground with the soil from container still on them and water them in. It may help to place a small can or other container open on both ends around them to keep them from getting wind damage in the frist few days. Again you do not have too. Wate them good the first day to settle soil and get them started. Water every few days allowing soil to dry between waterings. As they grow keep and eye out for pests. Tomatoe worms manifest themselves in leaves disappearing form entire limbs of palnts. Pull them off by ahnd or Sevin dust them with 5% Sevin. Blister bugs will ruin them too. Sevin alos kills them. Be awre that tomatoes are determinate and indeterminate. Determinate tomatoes all get ripe at once for making salsa, canning etc. the indeterminate ones get ripe in a random manner over many weeks and are good to keep fresh tomatoes handy. Find out which are which before buying if you care. I like Porter and Improved Port for eatting. Little cherry tomatoes are good. I also like Celebrity, Early Girl, Better Boy, Carnival, Sure Fire, Merced (determinate) Golden Jubilee. I do not care for Patio, BeefSteak, Climbing types ( all result in low yields in North Central Texas). Enjoy
3. Tomatoes need lots of high-potash feeding every two weeks or so. I use all organic feeds, mainly by feeding the soil with good rich compost and humus, so the plant feeds itself from the available stores in the soil. You can buy organic tomato feed. I believe Maxicrop do one which I believe is very effective. ( I haven't tried it but I've used their more general feeds, which are based on seaweed.) Give them plenty of space and air and don't water directly onto the leaves.