Dawn wrote:

Repeating Decimal wrote in message
....

I have found better boy to be a very flavorful tomato. Do you replenish
your trace elements? Have you checked soil pH?

Last year we planted into unadulterated local Missouri clay. This
spring we added the first manure and peat moss to it. Haven't had time
or need to replenish anything.

What kind of pH is good for tomatoes? Is there some kind of kit I can
buy to do the test?



Dawn

It took me an hour to find this ... but here it is! :-)

For processing tomatoes it is recommended to maintain soil pH between
6.5-6.8 (2003 Ohio Vegetable Production Guide - Bulletin 672-03). At pH
below 6.0 the availability of K, Ca and Mg to the plant is reduced. Liming
to achieve a pH above 6.8 can lead to a cation imbalance and ultimately
affect the levels of K in the soil solution. At alkaline pH (above 7.0) the
fixation of K tends to increase, affecting the amount of K readily
available to the plant. http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/tomato/pH.htm

and also

Fertility: Tomato is a moderately tolerant crop to a wide pH range. A pH of
5.5- 6.8 is preferred though tomato plants will do well in more acidic
soils with adequate nutrient supply and availability. Calcium availability
is also very important to control soil pH and nutrient availability.
http://www.uga.edu/vegetable/tomato.html

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