Tomato newbie....

Helix

This is the first time we are going to try tomatoes....  We have acquired 4 cherry type plants, and they will have to be grown in containers.   We have 4 25l pots that will be their home that we inherited from FIL.

My question is whether they can make do with my home made comfrey and/or nettle liquid as a fertiliser or do we really have to invest in a commercial tomato fertiliser?  

And will a mix of home made compost, bonemeal, and some cheap supermarket compost be ok for them or do they need something fancy? 

I feel as if we are embarking on fostering a few princesses, as a lot of what you read makes them sound so picky.

BobTheGardener

Don't be tempted to make the growing medium too rich in nutrients as this will encourage lots of leafy growth at the expense of fruit.  I would use the cheap supermarket compost on its own and feed with your comfrey feed once the first fruit have set (but not before.)  The problem with home made compost is it can contain pathogens as we can't usually get the compost hot enough to kill them.  It would probably be fine, but that's why I'd just use the commercial stuff for tomatoes.

I've been using comfrey tea as the only feed for my tomatoes for several years and it does the job perfectly.  Nettle tea is a bit too high in nitrogen though, so reserve that for leafy veg such as brassicas, lettuce etc.

purplerallim

Having cherry tomatoes is the easiest way to grow them. Little work other than planting (in GC compost) and feeding when in fruit. A little heat and water and watch them go.🙂

Helix

That’s what we’re hoping for! But at 700m altitude it could still be a challenge....temperatures can fluctuate 20+ degrees in 24 hours.  

But happy not to spend money on commercial fertiliser, then all we need to do is get 500g of tomatoes and we’ll be quids in.