On 4 May 2007 02:55:13 -0700, "Mike S."
wrote:

This will be my second year of growing tomatoes in 5 gallon pots. Last
year I think I did pretty darn good considering it was my first year,
the weather was unstable, and I have a black thumb (I'm so bad at
gardening I even kill grass).

I think last year my biggest mistakes were not using a good fertilizer
(I used imitation Miracle Gro) and lack of calcium. That and those
pesky hornworms that ate two out of three of my tomato plants (I
really hate those creepy little things).

I live in a small town and it's very difficult to buy fertilizers
unless you want to get something in bulk, which I don't. I think I can
get Bone Meal at a local store and I have some imitation Miracle Gro.
Other than that, there's not really much available.

My plan was to mix the potting soil and Bone Meal when I plant the
tomatoes, but how much Bone Meal should I add?

After that, how often should I feed the tomatoes? And what can I use?
Like I said before, I limited in choices and I know I can get Miracle
Gro and maybe Bone Meal. I may be able to get Fish Emulsion, but what
kind of store typically sells that?

Will the Bone Meal and possibly Fish Emulsion be good enough for
fertilizing? And will they provide enough calcium? I'm assuming
Miracle Gro is a poor choice of tomato fertilizer, correct?

When I plant my tomatoes in the containers I use half potting mix,
half finished compost (no animal products in the compost)

I then mix in a slow release organic fertilizer with the ration of
8-2-4 which is also 4-1-2 etc. Certified organic fertilizer is much
better than synthetic fertilizer because it feeds the soil as well as
the plant and in turn gives a buffer against problems with lack of
calcium, etc. However, after about a month in the container I use
powdered skim milk mixed with the proper ratio of water and water the
tomato plants with that and it is enough calcium. You can also use
crushed up Tums or equivalent. I wouldn't use limestone as that can
also reduce the pH and tomatoes like it a little on the acid side or
neutral.