I always feed my tomatoes and invariably buy Tomorite - which always
appears to be more expensive than alternatives.

I'd be interested in other's views of the alternatives B&Q own etc -
or is it even feasible to make up your own from basic materials?

In article , judith
writes
I always feed my tomatoes and invariably buy Tomorite - which always
appears to be more expensive than alternatives.

I'd be interested in other's views of the alternatives B&Q own etc -

Expensive tat when compared to the real thing.


or is it even feasible to make up your own from basic materials?

Indeed it is. Sunshine, water and lashings of compost, works wonders
for plants it does and is mostly free.


--
steve auvache
A Bloo one with built in safety features

"judith" wrote in message
...
I always feed my tomatoes and invariably buy Tomorite - which always
appears to be more expensive than alternatives.

I'd be interested in other's views of the alternatives B&Q own etc -
or is it even feasible to make up your own from basic materials?

You do not say how well your tomatoes fare on Tomerite. It is regarded
as a well balanced tomato feed and one which I always used to very good
effect. It's a bit like making a curry. I put my faith in an expert
and use sauce from a jar rather than spend hours doing my own mix and
probably failing. Basic materials cost quite a lot and they degrade
over time.

Regards,
Emrys Davies.

Regards,
Emrys Davies.

"steve auvache" wrote in message
...
In article , judith
writes
I always feed my tomatoes and invariably buy Tomorite - which always
appears to be more expensive than alternatives.

I'd be interested in other's views of the alternatives B&Q own etc -

Expensive tat when compared to the real thing.

The "Real Thing" being?



or is it even feasible to make up your own from basic materials?

Indeed it is. Sunshine, water and lashings of compost, works wonders
for plants it does and is mostly free.

Compost........Usually available after prolonged garden debris removal and
worm infestation, bugs and aeration.
For those that don't have such a fine facility then Tomorite works fine.

By early Feb I should have around 4 cubic metres of rotted cuttings, horse
shyte and other waste ready to dig in........until then.....Tomoriting the
tom's is happening.

"judith" wrote in message
...
I always feed my tomatoes and invariably buy Tomorite - which always
appears to be more expensive than alternatives.

I've never used it and my tomatoes always taste fine.


I'd be interested in other's views of the alternatives B&Q own etc -
or is it even feasible to make up your own from basic materials?

In article , R
writes

"steve auvache" wrote in message
...
In article , judith
writes
I always feed my tomatoes and invariably buy Tomorite - which always
appears to be more expensive than alternatives.

I'd be interested in other's views of the alternatives B&Q own etc -

Expensive tat when compared to the real thing.

The "Real Thing" being?

Compost...

You seem to have answered your own question.

I appreciate that the new vegetable gardener working without the benefit
of the free gifts of nature from previous seasons may have little or no
access to this wonder stuff and thus be tempted to supplement what the
plant is perfectly well equipped to remove from the soil with equally
perfectly good chemicals from a box. I can even understand them
succumbing to temptation and actually using these chemicals from a box
and wondering at the miraculous effects they achieve, in the short term.

However, continuing to tread such a path is dangerous and may lead to
reliance upon chemicals in a box which is A Bad Thing. Much better they
concentrate their time, money and effort improving their basic growing
medium in ways which benefit not just a single crop in the here and now
but anything which may follow for a number of years to come and the
immediately adjacent environment as a bonus.

Chemicals work, I have no argument to offer against this but they only
do a single, limited and expensive job. When considered in the longer
term compost works better. I recommend the benefits of it over any
short term gains purchased from other sources.

Of course, having used the chemicals properly and thus gained the short
term benefits from them, if they then compost the box the chemicals came
in then it is a different matter entirely.

It is war out there and while Chemical Warfare is fine when used against
the enemy it is intolerable to use it on those you are trying to
protect, only the very best is good enough for them.



--
steve auvache
A Bloo one with built in safety features

judith wrote:
I always feed my tomatoes and invariably buy Tomorite - which always
appears to be more expensive than alternatives.

I'd be interested in other's views of the alternatives B&Q own etc -
or is it even feasible to make up your own from basic materials?

Tomorite is inorganic isn't it ?
You may as well buy your tomatoes in the Supermarket.
Choose the very best heritage varieties and grow them organically.
Mine grow on organic soil in good heart, and are fed
liquid seaweed extract.The result is a tomato without equal.

"Emrys Davies" wrote in message
...
"judith" wrote in message
...
I always feed my tomatoes and invariably buy Tomorite - which always
appears to be more expensive than alternatives.

I'd be interested in other's views of the alternatives B&Q own etc -
or is it even feasible to make up your own from basic materials?

You do not say how well your tomatoes fare on Tomerite. It is regarded
as a well balanced tomato feed and one which I always used to very good
effect. It's a bit like making a curry. I put my faith in an expert
and use sauce from a jar rather than spend hours doing my own mix and
probably failing. Basic materials cost quite a lot and they degrade
over time.

Regards,
Emrys Davies.

Regards,
Emrys Davies.


Sauce from a jar, huh? And you expect us to take your gardening advice
seriously?! ;-)

I always feed my tomatoes and invariably buy Tomorite - which always
appears to be more expensive than alternatives.

The exact same question came up on another forum. So I posted the following
:- I have just visited my local Homebase and recorded the figures from all
their fertilisers for sale. the columns below are, manufacturer, product,
NPK ratio, and cost in £ per kilo of active ingredient. I have added the N,
P and K together to give a total of active ingredients. The results are :=

Plant feed
JAB --------- Sulphate of Potash 1.3kg --- 0,0,48 ------ 3.67
JAB ----------Growmore - 4kg ------------ 7,7,7 ------- 4.75
Bayer --------Phostrogen - 1.25kg ------- 14,10,27 ---- 5.47
Bayer ------- Phostrogen - 2kg ---------- 14,10,27 ----- 5.87
Miraclegrow - all purpose - 2kg ----------- 24,8,16 ------ 6.24
Miraclegrow - all purpose - 1kg ----------- 24,8,16 ------ 7.27
JAB --------- Blood, fish and bone - 4kg -- 5,5,6.5 ------ 7.56
JAB --------- Sulphate of ammonia - 1kg -- 21,0,0 ----- 10.90
Westland ---- liquid - 2 litre -------------- 5,2.5,10 ---- 11.40
JAB ----------Bone meal - 4kg ------------ 3.5,7,0 ----- 11.88
Bio --------- Top rose - liquid - 1 litre ---- 5,6,12 ------ 13.00
Miraclegrow - slow release - 1 kg ----------18,9,11 ----- 13.13
Homebase --- tomato feed - liquid - 2 litre -3.9,2.6,7.7 -- 17.57
Levington --- Tomorite - liquid - l litre ----- 4,4.5,8 ------ 21.15
Miraclegrow - slow release tablets 165 g ---10,11,18 ----- 62.00
Miraclegrow - liquid feed - 0.57 litre ------ 12,4,8 -------- 73.03

Lawn feed - virtually all nitrogen.
Miraclegrow - lawn feed - liquid - 2 litre - 36,6,6 --- 8.32
Miraclegrow - lawn feed - liquid - 1 litre - 36,6,6 --- 10.40
Evergreen --- lawn feed - liquid - 1 litre - 24,0,0 --- 24.96
Evergreen --- lawn feed - spray - 100 cc 27,0,1 --- 213.93

You can pay anything from about £5 per kilo to over £200 per kilo. The
choice is yours. Be aware that the NPK values differ. Some like the Sulphate
of Potash are very specialised being pure potassium. You need to get the
balance right for your purpose. The absolute NPK figures tell you how much
the active ingredients cost you. But the balance between them tells you in
what way they will help your plants to grow. There is probably no difference
in cost betweeb N,P and K as chemicals, so the difference in price will be
due to marketing.

The answer to your question as why Tomerite (mine was £3.49) is so
expensive, is that it is a liquid. You are mostly paying for water.
Phostrogen is a quarter of the price, and just as good.

"judith" wrote in message
...
I always feed my tomatoes and invariably buy Tomorite - which always
appears to be more expensive than alternatives.

I'd be interested in other's views of the alternatives B&Q own etc -
or is it even feasible to make up your own from basic materials?

very easy to make tomato fertiliser, it comes out the back of a horse, you
age it and then spread it across the garden. Works well on my tomatos for
me.

rob

On Sat, 14 Jul 2007 23:20:23 GMT, "Peter Sutton"
wrote:


I always feed my tomatoes and invariably buy Tomorite - which always
appears to be more expensive than alternatives.

The exact same question came up on another forum. So I posted the following
:- I have just visited my local Homebase and recorded the figures from all
their fertilisers for sale. the columns below are, manufacturer, product,
NPK ratio, and cost in £ per kilo of active ingredient. I have added the N,
P and K together to give a total of active ingredients. The results are :=

Plant feed
JAB --------- Sulphate of Potash 1.3kg --- 0,0,48 ------ 3.67
JAB ----------Growmore - 4kg ------------ 7,7,7 ------- 4.75
Bayer --------Phostrogen - 1.25kg ------- 14,10,27 ---- 5.47
Bayer ------- Phostrogen - 2kg ---------- 14,10,27 ----- 5.87
Miraclegrow - all purpose - 2kg ----------- 24,8,16 ------ 6.24
Miraclegrow - all purpose - 1kg ----------- 24,8,16 ------ 7.27
JAB --------- Blood, fish and bone - 4kg -- 5,5,6.5 ------ 7.56
JAB --------- Sulphate of ammonia - 1kg -- 21,0,0 ----- 10.90
Westland ---- liquid - 2 litre -------------- 5,2.5,10 ---- 11.40
JAB ----------Bone meal - 4kg ------------ 3.5,7,0 ----- 11.88
Bio --------- Top rose - liquid - 1 litre ---- 5,6,12 ------ 13.00
Miraclegrow - slow release - 1 kg ----------18,9,11 ----- 13.13
Homebase --- tomato feed - liquid - 2 litre -3.9,2.6,7.7 -- 17.57
Levington --- Tomorite - liquid - l litre ----- 4,4.5,8 ------ 21.15
Miraclegrow - slow release tablets 165 g ---10,11,18 ----- 62.00
Miraclegrow - liquid feed - 0.57 litre ------ 12,4,8 -------- 73.03

Lawn feed - virtually all nitrogen.
Miraclegrow - lawn feed - liquid - 2 litre - 36,6,6 --- 8.32
Miraclegrow - lawn feed - liquid - 1 litre - 36,6,6 --- 10.40
Evergreen --- lawn feed - liquid - 1 litre - 24,0,0 --- 24.96
Evergreen --- lawn feed - spray - 100 cc 27,0,1 --- 213.93

You can pay anything from about £5 per kilo to over £200 per kilo. The
choice is yours. Be aware that the NPK values differ. Some like the Sulphate
of Potash are very specialised being pure potassium. You need to get the
balance right for your purpose. The absolute NPK figures tell you how much
the active ingredients cost you. But the balance between them tells you in
what way they will help your plants to grow. There is probably no difference
in cost betweeb N,P and K as chemicals, so the difference in price will be
due to marketing.

The answer to your question as why Tomerite (mine was £3.49) is so
expensive, is that it is a liquid. You are mostly paying for water.
Phostrogen is a quarter of the price, and just as good.




That is excellent - well done sir - just what I wanted

My tomorite which I bought from the lotty store was 60p for two pints -
bargain!

"Peter Sutton" wrote in message
...

I always feed my tomatoes and invariably buy Tomorite - which always
appears to be more expensive than alternatives.

The exact same question came up on another forum. So I posted the
following
:- I have just visited my local Homebase and recorded the figures from all
their fertilisers for sale. the columns below are, manufacturer, product,
NPK ratio, and cost in £ per kilo of active ingredient. I have added the
N,
P and K together to give a total of active ingredients. The results are :=

Plant feed
JAB --------- Sulphate of Potash 1.3kg --- 0,0,48 ------ 3.67
JAB ----------Growmore - 4kg ------------ 7,7,7 ------- 4.75
Bayer --------Phostrogen - 1.25kg ------- 14,10,27 ---- 5.47
Bayer ------- Phostrogen - 2kg ---------- 14,10,27 ----- 5.87
Miraclegrow - all purpose - 2kg ----------- 24,8,16 ------ 6.24
Miraclegrow - all purpose - 1kg ----------- 24,8,16 ------ 7.27
JAB --------- Blood, fish and bone - 4kg -- 5,5,6.5 ------ 7.56
JAB --------- Sulphate of ammonia - 1kg -- 21,0,0 ----- 10.90
Westland ---- liquid - 2 litre -------------- 5,2.5,10 ---- 11.40
JAB ----------Bone meal - 4kg ------------ 3.5,7,0 ----- 11.88
Bio --------- Top rose - liquid - 1 litre ---- 5,6,12 ------ 13.00
Miraclegrow - slow release - 1 kg ----------18,9,11 ----- 13.13
Homebase --- tomato feed - liquid - 2 litre -3.9,2.6,7.7 -- 17.57
Levington --- Tomorite - liquid - l litre ----- 4,4.5,8 ------ 21.15
Miraclegrow - slow release tablets 165 g ---10,11,18 ----- 62.00
Miraclegrow - liquid feed - 0.57 litre ------ 12,4,8 -------- 73.03

Lawn feed - virtually all nitrogen.
Miraclegrow - lawn feed - liquid - 2 litre - 36,6,6 --- 8.32
Miraclegrow - lawn feed - liquid - 1 litre - 36,6,6 --- 10.40
Evergreen --- lawn feed - liquid - 1 litre - 24,0,0 --- 24.96
Evergreen --- lawn feed - spray - 100 cc 27,0,1 --- 213.93

You can pay anything from about £5 per kilo to over £200 per kilo. The
choice is yours. Be aware that the NPK values differ. Some like the
Sulphate
of Potash are very specialised being pure potassium. You need to get the
balance right for your purpose. The absolute NPK figures tell you how much
the active ingredients cost you. But the balance between them tells you in
what way they will help your plants to grow. There is probably no
difference
in cost betweeb N,P and K as chemicals, so the difference in price will be
due to marketing.

The answer to your question as why Tomerite (mine was £3.49) is so
expensive, is that it is a liquid. You are mostly paying for water.
Phostrogen is a quarter of the price, and just as good.

After serious thinking judith wrote :
I always feed my tomatoes and invariably buy Tomorite - which always
appears to be more expensive than alternatives.

I'd be interested in other's views of the alternatives B&Q own etc -
or is it even feasible to make up your own from basic materials?

Hi Judith,You can make up liquid feed from Comfrey.
From
http://www.allotment.org.uk/vegetabl...nder_Plant.php

Making Comfrey Liquid Compost or Comfrey Tea
Comfrey can be made into a wonderful liquid feed – it is quite simple.
Take a barrel or tub, cram with comfrey leaves, fill with water and
leave for 3 to 5 weeks. Warning! It will smell like an open sewer when
finished. The liquid can be used as a tomato feed. I tried this with a
tub with a tap but it was always getting blocked. Now I just ladle it
off.

--
Regards From
Wane Smooth

Help feed the Hungry,goto
http://www.thehungersite.com
It's Free!

"judith" wrote in message
...
I always feed my tomatoes and invariably buy Tomorite - which always
appears to be more expensive than alternatives.

I'd be interested in other's views of the alternatives B&Q own etc -
or is it even feasible to make up your own from basic materials?


Before using chemicals to boost production you should ask the question:
Do I want a crop five times more than what I can eat or just four times?

mark :-)

On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 07:47:37 GMT, Wane Smooth
wrote:

After serious thinking judith wrote :
I always feed my tomatoes and invariably buy Tomorite - which always
appears to be more expensive than alternatives.

I'd be interested in other's views of the alternatives B&Q own etc -
or is it even feasible to make up your own from basic materials?

Hi Judith,You can make up liquid feed from Comfrey.
From
http://www.allotment.org.uk/vegetabl...nder_Plant.php

Making Comfrey Liquid Compost or Comfrey Tea
Comfrey can be made into a wonderful liquid feed – it is quite simple.
Take a barrel or tub, cram with comfrey leaves, fill with water and
leave for 3 to 5 weeks. Warning! It will smell like an open sewer when
finished. The liquid can be used as a tomato feed. I tried this with a
tub with a tap but it was always getting blocked. Now I just ladle it
off.


Interesting I think I will give it a go.
(Not too sure about introducing it in to my small garden - I think I
will cultivate on a piece of waste land near my house ;-)