Tomato Growing 2024

I saw a post on an FB gardening page that advises adding a banana skin, a crushed aspirin, Epsom salts and mycorrhiza to the planting hole and mixing well then planting tomatoes deep so they make more roots from the stem. Plus, it said, adding some baking soda would sweeten tomatoes in acid soil.

Maybe all that is a tad OTT? Anyone care to experiment?

 

@Obelix-Vendée I know people put banana skins around the base of certain plants because it helps somehow with pollination, but I've never heard of anyone putting them underneath.

Epsom salts are very high in Mg, so tomatoes must like that, and bananas are high in K, I'm not sure about aspirin, but willow bark has natural aspirin so maybe that could be used.

 

Yes I saw that afterwards too. I do have the grainy ones, bought them when I was planting roses on advice of David Austin, his advice was exactly as yours, so that's what I'll be doing. Thank you.

 

@Mrs. B. I think the banana skins are always for the flowering oomph they get from K rather than pollination.

I've just been reading an American study on aspirin and plants. Refined aspirin medication shows promise in helping plants protect themselves against bacterial infection but hasn't all the compounds you'd find in willow for helping with rooting or better growth so good husbandry is as, if not more, important.

 

Has anyone had success with San Marzano tomatoes ? First time last year with this one - poor fruit production and none ripened ( latter could have been the crap summer ). Grown in GH and outside.

 

Just found this thread. Great to learn about any tips and tricks. The MFungi sounds interesting.

I grow my tomatoes in large pots these days. I usually empty out a grow bag into the pot and that will be for one cordon plant. I also grow bush/tumbling varieties in pots of various sizes. I have found the traditional grow bag shape to be unhelpful and prefer a deep pot, which seems to anchor the roots well and can be watered easily with an upturned bottle pushed down to funnel the water deep.

I’ve sown some Cherry toms and some Tumbling Toms today. They will have to make do with windowsill conditions to germinate.

 

It is a bit early in the year but what can you use the contents of grow bags for when all the tomatoes are finished.

 

I usually recharge the compost with fish, blood, and bone, fresh compost either bought or made, and use it for plants unrelated to tomatoes. Nothing goes to waste in the garden.

 

Mulch or soil improver. The fertiliser will have been used up but the texture will still be of use as a soil conditioner.

 

Lining for wooden containers is what I used bird seed bags for.

 

Banana skin would be better at the roots as the potassium would be more accessible to them, but end up on the surface; as who keeps banana skins for to have enough for planting up half a dozen tomatoes. Potassium increases plant growth and helps with crop yield; Tomorite has more potassium than nitrogen or phosphorus
Epsom salts, I have used those on tomatoes from time to time, don't over do them as to much magnesium can help cause blossom end rot. The Epsom Salt Myth — Yard & Garden Report
Asprin is often suggested as being good for plants, it may help increase stress tolerance I'd use an asprin as the active component is more available than from willow bark which would need to break down.
Mycorrhiza yes I use a sprinkle in all the final containers when planting tomatoes.
I also add a slow release fertiliser.
I would skip the baking soda as I can't think why it would give you sweeter tomatoes.

 

I'd expect the baking soda would lessen or neutralise the soil acidity. I've never had acid soil so I don't know how tomatoes taste when they're grown in it.
Any tomato people here on acid?

 

Adding to the compost heap ( if you have one ) . Other than that, you could sieve it - just to get rid of any possible slugs/eggs,etc. - and bag it up to use for seed sowing . You won't need to add any nutrients for actual seed germination. Only necessary when you pot stuff on. Works well enough IMO but others may have further suggestions.

 

@NigelJ OH has a banana every day with his Weetabix. Since the new year I've given him a litre pot to keep them in water. When it's full I drain it off in to a watering can and dilute it for watering the house plants, both leafy and flowering. They are all looking very happy.

The drained skins then go on the compost heap so what's left of their nutrients is shared about.