Fertilizing tomatoes and peppers

[roper2008]

I just kind of throw different products in my beds. I use
gardentone a lot, bonemeal, compost is a must. I also
have Happy Frog tomato and pepper that I mostly use in
containers. Today I am going to buy some Rock Dust to
try this year. The growingyourgreens.com guy raves
about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlGauJnyCFg

[Ms. Jitomate]

Originally Posted by Tracydr

With my peppers and eggplants, which live years,I have to add some ironite because they are near the foundation and sidewalk.

What does this mean? How does the sidewalk or foundation affect the plants? I have sidewalk paths and one of my beds is adjacent to the garage. What should I be looking for if I need to add ironite?

[Dak]

Originally Posted by habitat_gardener

and then there's Steve Solomon and the remineralizers. I've just read his new book, The Intelligent Gardener,

Small world! I've also just finished reading The Intelligent Gardener, very good read. Going the soil testing route makes a lot of sense to me, last month I tested a couple areas in my garden, got a professional Rx for the one area that was problematic and used a computer analysis for the other.

Loganlabs is just $20 for a soil test, fast turnaround, nice people. This site allows you to enter your soil test data from loganlabs and will do the calculations online for you. It's $9.50 for the year.

I have to say it's been fun putting together all the minerals I need to balance my soil. In order to work all the amendments I need into the soil I bought a digging fork. Where has that been all my life? What a great tool for breaking up weeds.

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Dak

Small world! I've also just finished reading The Intelligent Gardener, very good read. Going the soil testing route makes a lot of sense to me, last month I tested a couple areas in my garden, got a professional Rx for the one area that was problematic and used a computer analysis for the other.

Loganlabs is just $20 for a soil test, fast turnaround, nice people. This site allows you to enter your soil test data from loganlabs and will do the calculations online for you. It's $9.50 for the year.

I have to say it's been fun putting together all the minerals I need to balance my soil. In order to work all the amendments I need into the soil I bought a digging fork. Where has that been all my life? What a great tool for breaking up weeds.

Before my health problems I used to turn and mix all of my raised beds with a digging fork. Loved it and it was great exercise. Unlike a tiller you don't kill many earthworms and using it will help prevent a hardpan from developing. I got two of them and found the one with the flatter tines to be much easier and more effective for turning. It also was easier to dig deeper with it. When digging up potatoes the rounder tine one was much better causing far less cuts on the potatoes. I only used my tiller then for mixing in large quantities of manure and organic matter into the soil of my beds. I still use my digging forks when doing very small areas when I can.

[Dak]

That's great to know, B54red. I can see how it would prevent hard pan, plus it's just so easy to use. What caught my eye first was a broadfork, but I can't justify that kind of investment for what I'm doing.

[habitat_gardener]

Originally Posted by Ms. Jitomate

...How does the sidewalk or foundation affect the plants? I have sidewalk paths and one of my beds is adjacent to the garage....

I'm not the OP, but I know that concrete walks and foundations can sometimes leach into surrounding soil, making it more alkaline. In alkaline soil, many minerals are less available to plants than in neutral or slightly acidic soil.