Posted
by Mike Ryan
June 17, 2009 at 10:20 a.m.
Bring 'em on
I was poking around in the my garden the other day and noticed that my tomato plants are finally (I started many of them from seed, so I’ve been waiting for this point for a few months) growing some buds, which means that actual factual summertime tomatoes are not far off. I usually pinch off the first set of buds on many of my plants so that they can continue to grow to a more substantial size before actually producing. There’s few things as pathetic in my opinion as a skinny little tomato plant giving everything it’s got to squeeze out one or two tomatoes at a time when a plant that’s much bigger is prone to much higher production.
I digress from the point I was trying to make- remember to fertilize when the tomatoes are coming on! Creating fruit consumes many of a plant’s resources as it’s creating a nice package for you eat. Side-dressing and banding are two easy ways to fertilize in order to keep your plants healthy and to insure that they create the very best edibles for you as possible.
I’m sure people have opinions about these methods as to whether one or the other is better, but as far as I’m concerned, I think they’re equal in performance but are application-specific; that is to say, it depends on how your garden is arranged.
The side-dressing method works well if you’ve managed to create rows in your garden. Simply dig a shallow trench a few inches out from the base of your plants. It should run the length of your plants. Apply your fertilizer (which should be something like compost or compost tea, not like, chemicals ... your locally-owned nursery can help you with that) and cover your trench.
The banding (or collaring) method is similar in function to the method listed above, however it tends to work better if your plants are hap-hazardly located, or planted any other way besides linearly. (Linearly is a word, right?)
Again, just dig a super shallow trench, only this time, make a circle around each plant, a few inches out from the base. Apply fertilizer and cover.
When you water your garden or when it rains, this newly applied fertilizer will be the extra boost your plants can use in their big push to produce for you.
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alm77 (anonymous) says…
"I usually pinch off the first set of buds on many of my plants so that they can continue to grow to a more substantial size before actually producing. " - AHHH that's it!! Thanks! My mom always said after a certain time, but I never understood why. Saying to wait until your plant is a nice size makes so much more sense.
smerdyakov (anonymous) says…
If your aversion to chemical fertilizers bc they could be harmful upon eating the fruit, or more just bc they're not sustainable (esp after the zombie apocalypse)?
mikeryan (Mike Ryan) says…
smerdyakov-
There have actually been several studies done that have found that zombies prefer chemically treated produce over the other stuff. They scare the kids and make a mess of the garden, and plus, compost is free, especially when you make it yourself.