How to FEED TOMATOES at Every Stage for BIG HARVESTS

As much as we all love them, tomatoes are some high maintenance vegetables. To get the biggest harvests out of your tomato plants, it’s important to keep them appropriately fed and fertilized throughout their entire lifecycle from seed to harvest.

Luckily, an effective approach to tomato fertilizing doesn’t have to be expensive or even particularly time consuming. Join us as we talk through how to meet a tomato’s nutritional requirements during these lifecycle stages:

1. How to fertilize tomato seedlings
2. What fertilizers to add to tomato planting soil ahead of time
3. How to fertilize tomatoes when you transplant them
4. How to efficiently fertilize Mature Tomato Plants with Flowers and Fruit on the Vine

We’ll go through when your tomato plants need (and don’t need) nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium and how to balance those variable requirements with practical fertilizer purchases and applications.

You’ll also learn why DIY kitchen scrap fertilizers may not be necessary and whether you can make do with compost and worm castings alone.

Let’s feed some tomatoes!

Chapters:
00:18 Feeding Tomato Seedlings
01:56 Preparing Soil Ahead of Transplant
03:26 Starter Fertilizer at Transplant
07:35 Side Dress Fertilizing Mature Plants
11:29 Kitchen Scrap DIY Fertilizers

#tomatoes #plantfood #homesteading #vegetablegarden #gardening

Written version of this video (if you'd rather read than watch):

Tomato Fertilizer Research & Resources
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[alialkhoori]

My advice to you at the beginning use phosphorus and potassium, potassium will make the stem thick which will lead to a very strong tomato plant

[AcornHillHomestead]

Every year I used water soluble 20-20-20 (blue) from first true leaves and until up potted. Then I used organic blood and bone at planting followed by fish fertilizer and then once established (couple weeks?) I gave them an organic Tomato Tone or something similar. Later in the season full 20-20-20 seemed to work just ok until we came into these long droughts and I am hand watering. Every year my tomatoes got early season blight, peppers didnt produce fruits until it was too late in the season and my strawberry leaves were always spotted. My plants were always planted at or before the last frost. Then I read about compost tea. So this year I made weed tea and included a small bit of comfrey leaves. (My plants are not big enough for a full tub of tea). I am giving regular feedings of the tea and hand watering. The garden is 40 x 50’. The growth is really impressive with the sturdy, healthy looking plants and my Bell, Poblano, Keystone, Banana and Jalapeño’s are producing well ahead of previous years. It’s quite a difference compared to all the previous years. I even notice more bees now. We have poor sandy soil on top of which I layer leaves, compost, straw and heavy woodchips. I am also using this tea on my large flower pots. The results have been stunning to say the least. Of course the tea smells but luckily the plants cant smell it! 😂 Thanks for all you share. It is so helpful.

[jstins]

Liked and subbed. Excellent delivery of great info. Glad I found you.

[jamesrhoades]

You’re the best!! Straight forward information with no BS thanks for all you do!

[mykeyoh]

planted fertilizer spikes last week. already seeing rapid lush top growth. plants had stalled and wasn't sure what best method would be, so I took your "easy" route. Those spikes did the trick. Thanks so much 👍✌ 🍅🍅

[ElleL]

Absolutely the Best! Your video is the most detailed and informative, thus Helpful, video I have seen on YouTube and trust me I have watched a few. This video provided ALL of The Information I have been searching for on how to properly fertilize tomatoes based on growth stages and the pros and cons of various organic-based fertilizers, to achieve optimum healthy growth for my tomato plants. I finally have the answers I have been looking for. Your time and effort is much appreciated. Thank You!

[annmc]

This year I did add bone meal to my paste tomatoes to help with blossom end rot. I did it both at planting out and side dressing after 3 weeks. I usually get a little BER, but nothing severe.

[mandigladders]

Thank you for this informative video 😊

[TheBBQKEEPER]

I have watch a few videos on making your own phosphorous solubilizing bacteria (PSB) fertilizer. What are your thoughts in using in the garden? Pros and Cons? Thanks!

[SS-qbol]

Just wondering where you are located to see how much applies to me. I am in NC. Thank you.

[alexk]

I see you're fertilizing organically in pots. From my understanding, organic fertilizers need to be broken down by microorganisms in the soil to become bioavailable to the plant. The potting medium does not allow for these microorganisms to flourish, no matter what your mix contains. Using exclusively synthetic fertilizers (with micronutrients) seems to make much more sense for pots. Thoughts?

[twochknsoftaco]

I found it interesting that you use less fertilizer in your container plants. I'm assuming you do so because of the smaller volume of soil. Most gardening channels I've seen always mention to some effect that they feed their container plants more due to there being less total nutrients available as compared to planting in ground. Your thoughts? And I do appreciate your thoughts on using insoluble granular with compost every 4- 6 weeks as opposed to feeding every 10 to 14 days with soluble fertilizers. This is my second growing season and it's a pain in the ass keeping a feeding schedule. Thanks

[markm]

Fertilizer every week and watch them grow, it's not hard, 15-30-15 works great about a teaspoon per gallon, and a tablespoon of Epson salt every 3 weeks, it's not necessary to have make it difficult, it's easy, have a blessed crop and don't forget to set your blooms with a cordless tooth brush 😀

[olenmiles]

Is Steer manure better than Heffer poop?

[DiAshTray]

Explain that spike fertilizer thing please. You just shove it into a random spot in the pot? And only 1?

[daniellebailey]

Honestly, some of the best tasting tomatoes I've had were planted into native soil. Funny how that happens.

[cannafarmer]

I use my own compost mix and recycled soil so it start full of microbes right away

[cesardaguialemosdomingosdo]

Bom dia quais são os componetes que voce usa para preparar o substrato para plantar tomate

[outrageousolderwoman]

Just found you. Love the channel. I’m a scientist (most of the time). In view of recent pandemics, here’s a question regarding compost/soil amendments. Bat guano is found in lots of amendments. Bats are a reservoir species for TONS of viruses etc. which make the jump to other creatures, mammals, and sometimes humans. Zoonotic nasty events like Covid will continue to occur over time, but really.. should we make it easier by using poo, even if composted at relatively high temps, from these sources?? Would love to hear your opinions on the topic.

[marthaduffy]

I like your information but with you talking so fast I had to watch your video twice to absorb the information.