What's happend to Tomato-tone fertilizer??

Gardenboy · May 2, 2015

Here in south Florida I have always used Espoma Tomato-tone fertilizer. Have not been able to find it at local nurseries or big box stores. I've seen a few ads online at Amazon or Ebay. Have they discontinued this product?? Any information would be helpful.

Al@NC · May 2, 2015

I don't know! It's gaining popularity, try Kmart.

Al

ginger2778 · May 2, 2015

Shipping on 1 bag is around $13, for 3 bags it's about $22. For 10 bags, it's free!

http://www.ruralking.com/espoma-toma...izer-20lb.html

kayrobbins · May 2, 2015

None of the big box stores carry it here. I cold get the small bag at a local nursery but I talked with one of the feed stores about carrying it in the large bags. They had never carried any of the Espoma products before and now they can barely keep it in stock. I get the large bag for $19.95. It never hurts to ask.

Gardenboy · May 2, 2015

Thanks everyone...Thanks Ginger, my neighbor, that's the best deal I've seen so far. Will check it out. What npk ratio is the Tomato-tone? 3-4-6, 4-7-10, 2-5-3 ?

ginger2778 · May 2, 2015

Are they different? I think they are all 3-4-6, but I am not positive.

Worth1 · May 3, 2015

I like the plant tone I personally think it is better.
More nitrogen which plants use more of.

Worth

drew51 · May 3, 2015

I like to give them higher nitrogen until the plants are more mature. Then I cut back on it.

Starlight · May 3, 2015

A 4 pound bag from Kmart was $4.87 on sale from $8 something and it says 3-4-6 on it.

I think Al is right. It is starting to gain popularity. This is my first year using it and already I am liking it and I think it is an easy product for especially new gardeners to use to try and grow tomatoes.

Actually I am kicking myself, because I know there is a very limited supply of it around here and I been suggesting it to folks and now when I go to the store, it will probably be all gone. Dah....

shelleybean · May 3, 2015

The old Tomato Tone was not labeled as organic and it had one NPK ratio. Then they made some changes and it is now labeled as organic and has the new NPK ratio. This happened a couple of years ago. I remember some talk here about a few people scrambling around trying to find bags of the old formula, but those have got to be gone from the stores now, I'd imagine.

I have no trouble finding it here. I don't have any of the big stores like Lowe's near my house so I go to smaller hardware stores and locally owned garden centers, but they all carry it. The garden centers have the full Espoma line. We use Garden Tone and Palm Tone, as well as the Tomato Tone. I use Tomato Tone on my peppers and eggplant, too.

PA_Julia · May 3, 2015

Here in the Lehigh Valley our metro area is around 750,000 people. We have scores of independent garden centers that seemingly all carry Espoma products. My favorite garden center called Neighbors stocks almost the entire line of Espoma products. For transplanting this season I purchased two eighteen pound bags of Bio Tone Starter Plus which has stellar reviews as do all of Espoma's products. You simply cannot go wrong with the ""Cadillac "" of organic fertilizers.

Worth1 · May 3, 2015

I simply don't need the extra calcium my water has enough in it.
Even tree tone would be good.

Then with some of the soil test I have seen coming back on the p and k being overly high it makes me want to cut back on it.
Too much of anything isn't good.
You can go to their site and download the pdf on the products there isn't that much difference.
Worth

rnewste · May 3, 2015

For reference, the original TomatoTone on the left in a 5 pound bag; and the "new" TomatoTone on the right in the 4 pound bag (same price):

You can compare their labels to see what Espoma eliminated when shifting to the "new" formula.

I stockpiled a 5 year supply of the original formula before it was all gone.

Raybo

ginger2778 · May 3, 2015

The new formula was what I used this past season. It was the best results I have ever had, and that even includes the season before when I used TTF down the tube every 2 weeks. So if the new formula workes this well, I can only imagine how good the old one was! Not that the TTF wasn't great too, just that this was even better and I don't think I will ever need any other.( I use Earthboxes.)

wormgirl · May 3, 2015

Because I kept reading good reviews, I decided to seek out some in my town. I went to the Epsoma website (and I know I have had their products in the past!) and it said Tomato Tone was sold at a produce stand (where they carry a lot of starts) and at a certain nursery. Well I went both places and they stared at me like I had 2 heads. The produce stand carried another brand of fertilizer and the guy I talked to about it didn't recall ever having Epsoma. The woman at the nursery confidently stated, "I have never carried Tomato Tone or Epsoma... we used to be Dr. Earth ,and now we're Gardener & Bloome." How they got listed as a dealer of Tomato Tone is beyond me!

Takeaway: if you are looking for Tomato Tone, use the dealer locator with a grain of salt. Call before you drive there :-)

I ended up just buying some Gardener & Bloome since I love their planting mix. But it just doesn't have the mystique of TT!

May 2, 2015	#1
Gardenboy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL Posts: 784	What's happend to Tomato-tone fertilizer?? Here in south Florida I have always used Espoma Tomato-tone fertilizer. Have not been able to find it at local nurseries or big box stores. I've seen a few ads online at Amazon or Ebay. Have they discontinued this product?? Any information would be helpful.

May 2, 2015	#3
ginger2778 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Plantation, Florida zone 10 Posts: 9,283	I found this online Shipping on 1 bag is around $13, for 3 bags it's about $22. For 10 bags, it's free! http://www.ruralking.com/espoma-toma...izer-20lb.html

May 2, 2015	#5
Gardenboy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL Posts: 784	Tomato-tone Thanks everyone...Thanks Ginger, my neighbor, that's the best deal I've seen so far. Will check it out. What npk ratio is the Tomato-tone? 3-4-6, 4-7-10, 2-5-3 ?

May 3, 2015	#10
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	The old Tomato Tone was not labeled as organic and it had one NPK ratio. Then they made some changes and it is now labeled as organic and has the new NPK ratio. This happened a couple of years ago. I remember some talk here about a few people scrambling around trying to find bags of the old formula, but those have got to be gone from the stores now, I'd imagine. I have no trouble finding it here. I don't have any of the big stores like Lowe's near my house so I go to smaller hardware stores and locally owned garden centers, but they all carry it. The garden centers have the full Espoma line. We use Garden Tone and Palm Tone, as well as the Tomato Tone. I use Tomato Tone on my peppers and eggplant, too. __________________ Michele

May 3, 2015	#11
PA_Julia Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Princeton, Ky Zone 7A Posts: 2,208	Here in the Lehigh Valley our metro area is around 750,000 people. We have scores of independent garden centers that seemingly all carry Espoma products. My favorite garden center called Neighbors stocks almost the entire line of Espoma products. For transplanting this season I purchased two eighteen pound bags of Bio Tone Starter Plus which has stellar reviews as do all of Espoma's products. You simply cannot go wrong with the ""Cadillac "" of organic fertilizers. __________________ Personal Best- 4.46 LB Big Zac 2013

May 2, 2015	#2
Al@NC Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Vernon, BC Posts: 720	I don't know! It's gaining popularity, try Kmart. Al

May 2, 2015	#4
kayrobbins Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Jacksonville, Fl Posts: 820	None of the big box stores carry it here. I cold get the small bag at a local nursery but I talked with one of the feed stores about carrying it in the large bags. They had never carried any of the Espoma products before and now they can barely keep it in stock. I get the large bag for $19.95. It never hurts to ask.

May 3, 2015	#7
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	I like the plant tone I personally think it is better. More nitrogen which plants use more of. Worth

May 3, 2015	#8
drew51 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Sterling Heights, MI Zone 6a/5b Posts: 1,302	I like to give them higher nitrogen until the plants are more mature. Then I cut back on it.

May 3, 2015	#9
Starlight Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: AL Posts: 1,993	A 4 pound bag from Kmart was $4.87 on sale from $8 something and it says 3-4-6 on it. I think Al is right. It is starting to gain popularity. This is my first year using it and already I am liking it and I think it is an easy product for especially new gardeners to use to try and grow tomatoes. Actually I am kicking myself, because I know there is a very limited supply of it around here and I been suggesting it to folks and now when I go to the store, it will probably be all gone. Dah....

May 3, 2015	#13
rnewste Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Campbell, CA Posts: 4,064	For reference, the original TomatoTone on the left in a 5 pound bag; and the "new" TomatoTone on the right in the 4 pound bag (same price): You can compare their labels to see what Espoma eliminated when shifting to the "new" formula. I stockpiled a 5 year supply of the original formula before it was all gone. Raybo

May 3, 2015	#15
wormgirl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Tacoma, WA Posts: 245	Because I kept reading good reviews, I decided to seek out some in my town. I went to the Epsoma website (and I know I have had their products in the past!) and it said Tomato Tone was sold at a produce stand (where they carry a lot of starts) and at a certain nursery. Well I went both places and they stared at me like I had 2 heads. The produce stand carried another brand of fertilizer and the guy I talked to about it didn't recall ever having Epsoma. The woman at the nursery confidently stated, "I have never carried Tomato Tone or Epsoma... we used to be Dr. Earth ,and now we're Gardener & Bloome." How they got listed as a dealer of Tomato Tone is beyond me! Takeaway: if you are looking for Tomato Tone, use the dealer locator with a grain of salt. Call before you drive there :-) I ended up just buying some Gardener & Bloome since I love their planting mix. But it just doesn't have the mystique of TT!