Stephen Younge wrote:

At the beginning of this season, I purchased some "Sta-Green Tomato &
Vegetable Food", 12-10-5. I was wondering if this would be suitable for my
tomatoes, some of which are in 20" pots and some of which are in the
ground. I used the recommended amount at planting time (late May), and I'm
getting ready to add a little more in the next few days.

I've seen some messages on this newsgroup that suggest calcium is
important for tomatoes. The Sta-Green fertilizer has no calcium -- it has
nitrogen, phosphate, potash, boron, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum,
and zinc. Will this do the trick, or should I use something in addition?
I've heard too much nitrogen can hinder fruit production.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Stephen Younge
Boulder, CO

Lack of calcium and / or uneven watering will cause this problem. I have
handled it for years by pushing food-grade calcium supplement tablets about
1" into the ground at planting time. (I use 3 per tomato / pepper plant).
They dissolve fairly quickly and leaching takes them into the root zone
over the season. So far, so good for the past several years.

Of course, this does nothing about the water situation. For that I use Tyvek
tube weep irrigation. One pint per foot per day from the tyvek seems to do
the trick.

BIll
--
Zone 5b (Detroit, MI)
I do not post my address to news groups.