"Billy Rose" wrote in message
...
In article . com,
dbasedos wrote:

Worse tomatoe plants ever?
The last couple of years my tomatoe plants
have grown shorter and shorter. Also not
getting near as many tomatoes. I only have
a small plot and can not rotate crops.
What to do to get better plants next year?

Compost and manure, 50/50.

or if you don't have a ready source of aged poop compost will do, or if you
don't have a ready source of compost aged poop will do. I

f you have neither simply piling spray free grass clippings on the soil for
several months prior to planting will help, throw in some used coffee
grounds as well, some leaves as well. Give a few months for it to break down
and then plant. Not absolutely scientific but better than doing nowt. It all
adds organic matter into the soil that will benefit the soil. I did a raised
garden last year with grass clippings, coffee grounds, some old hay, old
bits of wool, paper, a bit of fresh poop & a layer of soil over the top.
Left it a few months & planted tomatos into it, they did fine.

rob

Worse tomatoe plants ever?
The last couple of years my tomatoe plants
have grown shorter and shorter. Also not
getting near as many tomatoes. I only have
a small plot and can not rotate crops.
What to do to get better plants next year?

In article . com,
dbasedos wrote:

Worse tomatoe plants ever?
The last couple of years my tomatoe plants
have grown shorter and shorter. Also not
getting near as many tomatoes. I only have
a small plot and can not rotate crops.
What to do to get better plants next year?

Compost and manure, 50/50.
--
Billy
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/

Do you ever amend the soil with fertilizers and mulch? As you remove the plants

and the fruit every season, you are depleting the energy of the soil. You
coluld have some sort of pathogen in the soil, but I would focus on the
fertilizer first.

Sherwin D.

dbasedos wrote:

Worse tomatoe plants ever?
The last couple of years my tomatoe plants
have grown shorter and shorter. Also not
getting near as many tomatoes. I only have
a small plot and can not rotate crops.
What to do to get better plants next year?

In article ,
sherwindu wrote:

Do you ever amend the soil with fertilizers and mulch? As you remove the
plants

and the fruit every season, you are depleting the energy of the soil. You
coluld have some sort of pathogen in the soil, but I would focus on the
fertilizer first.

Sherwin D.

Ah, the pariah returns. Out haunting a little late Shirwy? Take his
advice if you like but be prepared for attitude.

FB - FFF
--
Billy
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/

In article ,
"George.com" wrote:

"Billy Rose" wrote in message
...
In article . com,
dbasedos wrote:

Worse tomatoe plants ever?
The last couple of years my tomatoe plants
have grown shorter and shorter. Also not
getting near as many tomatoes. I only have
a small plot and can not rotate crops.
What to do to get better plants next year?

Compost and manure, 50/50.

or if you don't have a ready source of aged poop compost will do, or if you
don't have a ready source of compost aged poop will do. I

f you have neither simply piling spray free grass clippings on the soil for
several months prior to planting will help, throw in some used coffee
grounds as well, some leaves as well. Give a few months for it to break down
and then plant. Not absolutely scientific but better than doing nowt. It all
adds organic matter into the soil that will benefit the soil. I did a raised
garden last year with grass clippings, coffee grounds, some old hay, old
bits of wool, paper, a bit of fresh poop & a layer of soil over the top.
Left it a few months & planted tomatos into it, they did fine.

rob

Or as Kay suggested, make a trench in your garden, while it is resting,
and fill it with the organic garbage from your kitchen. As you fill the
trench, cover it back over with dirt.

FB - FFF
--
Billy
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/

I covered the garden with leave and grass mulch last fall. Tilled
more in this spring. I will get organic fertilizer this fall and
stink up the neighborhood. Can I also add 10-10-10 to the hole before
placing new plants in next spring?

In article .com,
dbasedos wrote:

I covered the garden with leave and grass mulch last fall. Tilled
more in this spring. I will get organic fertilizer this fall and
stink up the neighborhood. Can I also add 10-10-10 to the hole before
placing new plants in next spring?

No chemicals. They hurt the life in the soil. Read "Teaming with
Microbes" from your local library (ignore the pH screw-up on pages
41-42, if it is the first edition) or Amazon.com. Manure, compost, fish
emulsion are the basics. Manure tea, compost tea, and kelp spray are
also helpful but forget N-P-K. When planting add bone meal, manure, and
compost to hole, otherwise spread on soil and work in lightly before or
while planting.
--
FB - FFF

Billy
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/

I covered the garden with leave and grass mulch last fall. Tilled
more in this spring.

Might be too fresh. Ideally, you'd let it compost elsewhere and put
it on/in the garden after a year or so. (I can't tell whether you are
doing that, because I don't know if "leaf and grass mulch" is already
composted or not).

How many inches of mulch?

I will get organic fertilizer this fall and stink up the neighborhood.

Worth a try. For the above reasons I would second the suggestion to
apply in the fall rather than the spring.

Can I also add 10-10-10 to the hole before placing new plants in next
spring?

Quite aside from the chemical versus organic, there is such a thing as
too much of a good thing. If you don't get results with manure,
compost, etc, I would guess you have a problem other than lack of
nutrients.

On Jul 28, 12:03 am, dbasedos wrote:
Worse tomatoe plants ever?
The last couple of years my tomatoe plants
have grown shorter and shorter. Also not
getting near as many tomatoes. I only have
a small plot and can not rotate crops.
What to do to get better plants next year?

If your garden is small and you can't rotate very much, follow
the previous post. Also keep in mind that when you till a garden
continously, You create a hard pack in the soil where the bottom of
tiller blades press down the soil creating a hardpack or pan very
dense in nature. Take your garden fork or spade and turn this over
loosening that hard pan. The hardpan doesn't let the roots to go deep
enough. and fully spread out.
I plant my tomatoes at least 7 in. deep in loose soil and since
I have my garden either plowed or deep dug. The roots of my tomatoes
in the fall garden clean up can be 12-20 in. deep. By the way my
garden is medium in size 80ft x 300ft., and I have over 190 tomatoes
in it.

On Jul 28, 12:03 am, dbasedos wrote:
Worse tomatoe plants ever?
The last couple of years my tomatoe plants
have grown shorter and shorter. Also not
getting near as many tomatoes. I only have
a small plot and can not rotate crops.
What to do to get better plants next year?

As adie hard raised gardener I suggest several 4 ft. x 4 ft. gardens
and rotate from one to the other each year.
Thanks, Johnny
www.raised-garden-bed.com/ (articles)