"Nate" wrote in message news:mZtie.2165$WG.1392@attbi_s22...
I am growing two tomato plants in large pots on my patio. I got one Green
Zebra and one Purple Cherokee. Both say they need full sun. On my patio
they get sun from about 11 AM till about 6 pm. I bought Miracle Grow
Potting
Mix. (this one: http://tinyurl.com/dovco)

I put the plants in the pots and my Fiancée started putting used coffee
grounds and used herbal tea bags on top of the potting mix. She says her
grandmother swears by it. I never heard of this. Any thoughts? I also was
reading posts on the web about putting whole bananas or just the peels on
the posts too. We have had the plants in the pots about 1 week. Should I
add peels or whole bananas now or is it too late? I have never heard of
putting banana in either.

I have noticed both plants have a couple leaves each that have ends curled
up and brown. But only one or two leaves on each plant and they are the
leaves that look closest to the soil/coffee grounds/tea bags.

She also made a water/dish soap mixture up and put some on the plants a
few
days ago. She said it keeps harmful bugs away.

Any suggestions to ensure best production of tomatoes?

As a side note although I like ripe tomatoes, I LOVE fried green tomatoes.
I
used to drive my mom crazy picking her biggest green tomatoes and
requesting
she fry them up.

I'd love to get a lot of big tomatoes out of these two plants. So I can
****
off my fiancée picking a lot green..

I have roma tomatoes that volunteer in my dog run each year. They grown in
horrible, compacted clay soil that has about two inches of river rock over
it. The run is on the north side of my house and there is a large sycamore
tree that provides even more shade. My neighbor grows tomatoes in
containers in a similar location. Although they probably prefer full sun, I
know they will grow in partial shade and in the worst soil, with absolutely
no fertilizer or care.

Personally, I wouldn't bother with the coffee grounds and bananas. If you
do use the grounds, etc., I would wait until the plants are growing well -
like after you have consistently hot days. You can give them a tablespoon
of a balanced fertilizer like 10-10-10 each week, or a specially formulated
fertilizer for vegetables that has a larger middle number. As for the soap
solution, I'm not sure that it will prevent insect infestation, but it is
often a good approach to controlling insects. I mixes some up yesterday to
treat an aphid infestation on my spirea. I use dish detergent, vegetable
oil, and baking soda in a spray bottle and give the new tender foliage a
good soaking.