how to build soil for taste of the produce

tnkrer · November 24, 2014

This was the first year I planted the same tomato and cuke in both a container (earth tainer) and in the soil. The taste of all the tomatoes was quite inferior from the plants planted in ground. The production did not suffer. They produced as well or better. I think the cukes also suffered in taste, but I am not sure that I would have been able to spot ground vs container in a blind taste test. Where as for tomatoes (sungold, sunsugar, black cherry, green cherokee) it was a stark difference.

Here are the differences as I see them
Container had one more hour of sun (6 hrs instead of 5), Conainer got regular feeding of fertilizer. Container always had water (bottom wicked)

This fall, I have added used coffee grounds and mulched leaves to the garden beds. What else I can do to improve the taste of the produce. Next year, I am planning to plant cuke, okra, eggplant and tomatoes in this bed. Its a strip of 25 ft x 1 ft at the end of my patio.

November 24, 2014	#1
tnkrer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: MA 6a/b Posts: 352	how to build soil for taste of the produce This was the first year I planted the same tomato and cuke in both a container (earth tainer) and in the soil. The taste of all the tomatoes was quite inferior from the plants planted in ground. The production did not suffer. They produced as well or better. I think the cukes also suffered in taste, but I am not sure that I would have been able to spot ground vs container in a blind taste test. Where as for tomatoes (sungold, sunsugar, black cherry, green cherokee) it was a stark difference. Here are the differences as I see them Container had one more hour of sun (6 hrs instead of 5), Conainer got regular feeding of fertilizer. Container always had water (bottom wicked) This fall, I have added used coffee grounds and mulched leaves to the garden beds. What else I can do to improve the taste of the produce. Next year, I am planning to plant cuke, okra, eggplant and tomatoes in this bed. Its a strip of 25 ft x 1 ft at the end of my patio.