Tomatoes, unlike many other fruits and vegetables, require a significant amount of nutrients to produce healthy crops. Even nutrient-rich potting soil may not be sufficient for tomato plants. Applying fertilizer at various stages of their growth cycle can greatly benefit these plants.
The right fertilizer can promote healthy growth, encourage flowering and fruit development, enhance fruit quality, and boost disease resistance. Undernourished tomato plants may show signs of nutrient deficiency, either immediately or when the tomatoes start to form. Tomato plants thrive with fertilizers rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
For those who want to avoid the cost of commercial organic fertilizers, making a homemade version can be a more cost-effective and equally beneficial alternative, according to the Express. Gardening expert Susan Patterson from Rural Sprout has shared her homemade tomato plant fertilizer recipe, which she has “perfected over 30 years” to enhance the yield and produce a “bumper crop.”
Susan shared her formula, saying: “After years of trial and error, I have found a tomato fertilizer recipe that works best. Although there are many options for homemade fertilizers, this one has been the most effective for me.”
For the base, Susan recommends using “high-quality compost” made from food and garden waste. Start by mixing half a gallon of compost in a bucket, breaking up any clumps and ensuring it is well mixed.
Next, add two cups of vermicompost (worm manure) to the compost blend to “provide beneficial microbes in the soil.” Also, incorporate two cups of powdered eggshells and two cups of rabbit or hamster droppings into the mixture.
For those who do not produce their own vermicompost, it can be purchased on Amazon for £13.40. Customers praise its quality, value, health benefits, and appearance, describing it as rich, easy to mix, and beneficial for plants. Alternatively, Original Organics offers vermicompost for £21.97, with customers raving about its quality, value, and appearance, as well as its rich, almost black color and lovely texture. Gardeners without access to rabbit manure can purchase it on eBay for £6.
To increase the potassium and phosphorus levels, add a cup of wood ashes to the mixture. Wood ashes have several useful applications in the garden, including aiding hydrangeas.
Finally, to introduce nitrogen to the homemade fertilizer, Susan recommends adding one cup of coffee grounds. In a rather unusual gardening tip, she suggests that gardeners could add finely sliced pet or human hair to their compost mix.
She explained the benefits, saying: “Hair breaks down and adds nitrogen and keratin, a protein that tomatoes use well for strong growth.”
Susan emphasized the importance of allowing the fertilizer to “cure for about a month” and keeping it in a sealed bucket before use.
