Chemical tomato feed is a fertilizer that mainly contains nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. Commercially available tomato feed manufacturers produce this in the best ratios for tomato growth and taste, so you don’t need to worry about what your tomato plant requires at every stage of growth.

Yes, coffee grounds can be used to make homemade tomato feed and are classified as organic fertilizer. They contain about 2% nitrogen as well as some phosphorus and potassium. These nutrients will be released slowly as the grounds decompose. So while adding coffee grounds will help. They don’t provide the full amount of nutrients that tomato plants need. They will, however, keep cats away from your tomatoes too. (there’s a random fact for you!) Can I use tomato feed for other vegetables and plants? And there is more. Water scarcity, which forces farmers to use lower quality irrigation water, often containing salt, leads to increases in soil salinity – something commercial tomato cultivars don't like. Higher ozone levels, meanwhile, make tomatoes more susceptible to diseases such as bacterial leaf spot .

That's all troubling, especially considering that tomatoes are currently the largest horticultural crop in the world – humanity produces 182 million tons of the fruit every year, equivalent to the weight of almost 32 Great Pyramids of Giza. What's more, our appetites for tomatoes are growing fast – over the last 15 years global production of tomatoes rose by more than 30%. Use the best tomato feed and fertilizer, in the correct amount and frequency. What does “when the first truss has set” mean? Of course, as average temperatures rise, other, previously too chilly regions, may become tomato-friendly. Yet observations in Italy show that weather extremes are something to consider, too. The 2019 growing season in northern Italy was marred by hail, strong winds, unusually high rainfall, and both exceptional frost and exceptional heat. The result was stressed tomato plants and poor harvests. Autumn Statement: Workers to pay less in national insurance – but rate cuts don't offset the freezing of personal tax thresholds This particular plant was more compact, with fewer branches but more fruits than the wild tomato. Its fruits were also a little darker than was usual, a sign of increased lycopene – an antioxidant linked to a lower risk of cancer and heart disease. It had, in fact, been designed that way.

Tomorite is the best tomato feed that is soluble in water and easy to use. It’s most suitable for flowering tomato plants. It contains seaweed extract that promotes growth, high quality, and tasty tomatoes. This is both my favourite tomato feed and also the UK’s favourite tomato food too! Buy Levington Tomorite here. Vitax Tomato Feed In this section, I’ll cover the different types of tomato feed necessary that you can use to maximise the growth of a healthy and high-yielding tomato plant. The first differences between tomato feed are whether it contains natural or man-made elements. Organic Tomato Feed When selecting the best tomato fertilizer, you’ll want to make sure that it contains both macro and micronutrients. The macronutrients in tomato feed are; nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium while the micronutrients include magnesium, calcium, boron, and zinc. While each growth stage of the tomato plant requires different nutrients, they can all be provided by the specialist tomato feeds available – you don’t need to buy lots of different ones! The Basics of Feeding Tomatoes For the highest yield from your tomato plants, you need to use the best tomato feed to supply nutrients at all stages of growth. However, the type of soil you have will determine how you are going to fertilize your tomato plant. Some soils may require the necessary nutrients right from transplanting, during flowering and after fruiting, that’s why a soil test is best to help you know the missing nutrients. However, if you’re like me, you’re growing your tomatoes in compost – so let’s make this easy and focus on the basics. When to Feed Tomatoes Autumn Statement: State pension confirmed to rise by 8.5% from April 2024 – while some benefits will go up by 6.7%

MSE News

They are far from the only genes that could be used to give the humble tomato a boost. In 2020 Chinese and American scientists performed a genome-wide association study of 369 tomato cultivars, breeding lines and landraces, and pinpointed a gene called SlHAK20 as crucial for salt tolerance.

The researchers for Which? Gardening magazine selected eight widely available tomato feeds to test, plus one specialised compost that doesn’t require feeding. Buy Concentrated Levington Tomorite Tomato Feed Here Best Organic Tomato Fertilizer – Maxicrop Organic Natural Fertilizer One 2021 study l ooked at the genome of Solanum sitiens – a wild tomato species which grows in the extremely harsh environment of the Atacama Desert in Chile, and can be found at altitudes as high as 3,300m (10,826ft). The study identified several genes related to drought-resistance in Solanum sitiens, including one aptly named YUCCA7 (yucca are draught-resistant shrubs and trees popular as houseplants). Whether you’re buying seeds, seedlings, plants, propagation gear, gardening tools or items for the kitchen, here are our favourite suppliers. Best for Seeds & PlantsRegulation and social acceptance are also an issue. Crispr modified plants can be " transgene-free" – meaning that unlike traditional genetically modified (GM) crops, those created by Crispr technology do not contain DNA from a different species (ie transgenic) – that's because the technology either involves simply deleting genes, or may involve inserting genes from a different varieties of the same species (as is being done with tomatoes).

I recommend liquid tomato feeds because they are easy to use and can be easily diluted. However, there are also pellet and powder tomato fertilizers available too. What is key in looking after your tomato plants is how you use the tomato feed, giving the correct amount of fertilizer regularly and avoiding overfeeding the tomato plant. Absolutely. I’m not going quite so far as to say that tomato fertilizer is the holy grail, but I do use it for feeding other plants and herbs – my coriander and basil have benefited magnificently in the past from tomato food, as have broad beans and chilli plants. Final Words on the Best Tomato Feed and Fertilizer You can apply liquid tomato fertilizer by using a watering can and it lasts for a long time if you ensure the lid is securely fastened and stored in a cool, dry place avoiding direct sunlight. So don’t leave it on the shelf in the greenhouse!

Advice for buying tomatoes

Regardless of where you grow your tomatoes – in the ground, in the greenhouse, in containers – or my favourite in tomato growing bags – you’ll need to ensure they get the right nutrients to grow. Can be used for other crops such as peppers, chillies and cucumbers. (our guide to growing cucumbers is here.)