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Senior Connections September 2018
Totally tomatoes
BY CHRIS SCHLUETER
Tomatoes from the garden or farmers market are the best tasting around . If you don ’ t have a garden , or want just a few fresh tomatoes , planting in containers is the answer .
Planting in containers can greatly reduce some tomato diseases , plus it makes for easy harvesting .
Follow these tips and you will soon be on your way to growing great tomatoes in pots :
First , you need to choose a container . Twenty-inch plastic pots and saucers seem to work the best . You can purchase pots that are colored and styled to look like old-fashioned terra-cotta .
At the end of each year , scrub them to remove most of the dirt , mold , and algae .
They are also lightweight , making them easier to move . If you are going to be moving pots around because of sun issues , use a dolly with wheels and set your pot on that .
Put a layer of river rock or similar material on your saucer , this will serve as drainage . The pots must be able to drain well , or your plants will get overwatered . Put a small square of plastic screening at the bottom of the pot to help with drainage . After a measurable rain , you will need to drain your rock-filled saucer so the plant does not sit in the water . You can dump it out
or siphon it with a kitchen baster .
The next crucial step is to get the right kind of soil for your pot . Use the best quality potting soil you can find . You can also add extra elements to this soil to encourage good growth and fruit .
At planting time , improve the potting mix , drawing on a balanced organic fertilizer already prepared and stored .
The recipe calls for 4 cups of soy meal and 2 cups of blood meal for nitrogen ; 3 cups of bone meal for phosphorous ; 2 cups of kelp meal and 4 cups of greensand for potassium . This homemade blend provides slow-release nutrition . Try to add 2 cups to each 40- quart bag of potting mix .
You could also use a good all-purpose fertilizer and feed this every week per instructions on the bottle , or get a slow-release fertilizer that you only add once .
Check out your local nursery for options , there are several out there .
You will find if you do add more to a potting soil , the plants will do much better .
Fill each pot with 6 to 8 inches of potting soil , and set a transplant at the bottom of the pot . As the tomatoes grow , trim the leaves from the stem and add more of the enriched soil mix until the pot is filled . This practice helps build root mass along the stem as
Chris Schlueter provides recipes using fresh tomatoes .
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Advancing health specialties from allergies to women ’ s health through our physicians and partnerships .
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Senior Connections September 2018
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