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Organic Tomato Plant Fertilizer #875362

Asked June 30, 2024, 3:02 PM EDT

I grow organic tomatoes in a raised bed and 5 gallon buckets full of organic Cowsmo soil & compost - should I use fertilizer for my plants? If so, what is the best organic fertilizer to use for my organic plants? I have reviewed many brands of organic fertilizer but most of them contain chicken litter, bone meal, and feather meal. I don't want to use a fertilizer with chicken items in them as I don't know what those chickens ate. Do you have suggestions for best kind of fertilizer for my organic tomato plants?

Hennepin County Minnesota

Expert Response

Hi,

We can't recommend specific products, but here's some guidance from Penn State University:

"Good tomatoes require a lot of nutrients. Most potting media comes with
about a two week fertilizer charge, then the plants need to be fed or
growth starts to slow down. Start by applying a timed-release, pelleted,
fertilizer following the label directions for rate based on pot size.
At about 2 weeks after planting, begin watering weekly with a soluble
fertilizer. Until the plants begin flowering, you can use a balanced
fertilizer with a 1-1-1 ratio such as 20-20-20. Once flowering, change
over to a high potassium fertilizer. Most fertilizers blended for
tomatoes fit this description. In our program, we've been using a
fertilizer with a 9-15-30 plus micro-nutrients analysis. Organic growers
can use a combination of fish emulsion, green sand, kelp meal and bone
meal to get similar results.
Be sure to increase feeding as the plants
grow larger. Apply more timed-release fertilizer after 10-12 weeks.
There is good research to support the inclusion of seaweed-based
supplements even with a strong conventional fertilizer program."

Fertilizing and adding manure can build up salts in soil, so be careful not to add too much to these beds. Before you plant next year you may want to have the soil tested to get an exact recommendation for fertilizer levels. Here's a link to the lab:

https://soiltest.cfans.umn.edu/

Hope this helps. Thanks.

MJ Replied June 30, 2024, 10:27 PM EDT

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