Miracle Gro potting soil isn't very sandy at all, its mostly dark
humus. that's why I thought it might be good to add some sand and help
drainage. It gets up to about 98 deg here in summer. THe galvanized
container gets full sun. By the end of June all tomatoes will start
dying from the heat (for everybody). So maybe some partial shade
would help? ALso I will definitely mulch it thickly and water every
day this year. thanks, geronimo



On Tue, 06 Mar 2007 00:33:08 GMT, "DP" wrote:


"mleblanca" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Mar 5, 7:34 am, geronimo wrote:
I am in a rent house so I don't plant anything in the ground, its
all in pots. I am in zone 10. Last spring (EARLY) I planted a
tomato(a variety that others are growing here with excellent results)
in a pot. Had full sun. Had plenty of drainage holes, volcanic rock at
the bottom. The tomato plant grew only so-so. I don't think it was
anywhere near the size/foliage spread of one planted in in a garden.
This pot actually is a large galvanized wash tub, so the plant sure
had more than enough room.
I used a mix...some sand, but mostly Miracle-Gro potting soil. At
the price of Miracle-Gro, it should be THE BEST, but the plant only
produced three or four fruit. There are lots of honeybees around.
I thought that maybe it was just that tomatoes don't do well/produce
much fruit when potted...however a relative of mine said that he once
grew tomatoes in pots, and they produced lots of fruit. SO I guess I
don't have the right soil or fertilizers. I watered them ocassionally,
as all the potted plant, with MIracle-Gro solution. What did I do
wrong, or is there some better soil I can put in the container?

FIrst, zone 10 doesnt have to be hot. its a cold hardinesss number,
only, could vary from SF to SoCal coastal, to AZ to FLA . all
different summers. Dont think it was the container.
I have used galvanized tubs and Im in zone 9 and our summers have
over 100o days and galvanized tubs were not as hot for
roots as dark plastic. Theyre shiny and reflect the heat, I would
think.

Soil/water: Most potting soil types are very sandy, if you added sand,
the
drainage could have been too quick. As FW and sc stated, water
could have been an issue, particularly if you watered 'occasionally'
Did you check the dryness by digging down about 2 inches to see
if it was dry? Toms would need more water than other smaller potted
plants.
I know all the sources say, don't use garden soil, but I have found
that my garden soil works 100 times better than purchased soil.
As long as it isn't clay.
( note: I dont care for Mir Gro, Its not the BEST to me)
To keep the soil evenly moist, use a mulch on the surface, and
water regularly. Did you water until the water ran out of the holes?

Fertilizer. You may have used too much fert. Most purchased soil
now has fert already in it. ( I don't like that). Mir. Gro is usually
very high in Nitrogen. When tomatoes are really well fertilized,
they sit back and say, " I am so well fed I will live forever. I don't
need to produce any fruit." So use less fert and dilute it more
than the package says.

I hope you get a better crop this year.
Emilie

I agree completley with Emilie. I would rather use some soil from my garden
mixed with some compost than to use all purchased soil. Potting soil may
work well for annuals, but is not the best for veggies. I prefer to add
fertilizer as needed during the growing season. I usually use Miracle Grow,
sparingly. That soil that you used last year is probably a good choice for
this year. Plant the tomatoes back into the same soil and cover with some
mulch to keep in moisture. I think you will be more pleased this year.

DP