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Question by bunnymom: what is the best soil to use in a topsy turvy tomato planter?
I used top soil last year and the tomato didn’t grow very well. I think the soil got to compact, because by the end of the season, the container was only half full but still just as heavy, and very hard. I was wondering if I should use dirt mixed with peat or just peat itself? Peat also holds more water doesn’t it?
Best answer:
Answer by Carl L
Well I hate to tell you this but those things are noting but a gimmick. Tomato plants need a lot of soil. Typically they send roots up to five feet into the ground. There is no way that that little bag holds enough soil for optimum growth. True, the plants will grow. True you will get tomatoes but the bag tends to dry out very quickly and needs a lot of fertilization which usually means chemicals which builds up salts very quickly in containers. In an A / B comparison a tomato plant in good, deep soil will yield more, bigger tomatoes and be generally healthier than a plant in one of those bags. If you must use one of these things use a soil free mix of peat, perlite and or vermiculite and compost. You can sometimes find this in gardening stores pre – mixed. Top soil is way too heavy and dense. For fertilizer use organic fertilizers like fish extract and kelp extract. Tomatoes need lots of phosphorus so look for an organic fertilizer with a high level of it. I use a beet – based organic fertilizer formulated for tomatoes. Good luck.
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Give Carl L Best Answer.
those things are a waste of time and money. nowhere near enough growing medium in them. carl is correct.