When to add compost to tomatoes

[frdnicholas]

I am just planting some small tomato plants today. What is the best time to top-dress with compost? My compost is fully done and has been for a couple of weeks. Can top dress the tomatoes now or wait till the flowers come?

 

[Chuck]

I am just planting some small tomato plants today. What is the best time to top-dress with compost? My compost is fully done and has been for a couple of weeks. Can top dress the tomatoes now or wait till the flowers come?

Compost now or earlier and fertilize when buds start to form. And fertilize at least 2 times per month thereafter preferably alternating with a good organic liquid AND granular.

 

[SeniorCitizen]

I try to add compost the year prior to planting to build my poor soil then they are on their own. lol

 

[Don Perry]

I have made the mistake of using bagged top soil to fill my raised containers. Tomatoes were not doing much. Then I read an article on the use of molasses as a means to develop nutrients in the soil. Turns out molasses is an excellent organic vitalizing agent. Tomatoes are looking much better. Come on, Matters!

 

[Chuck]

I have made the mistake of using bagged top soil to fill my raised containers. Tomatoes were not doing much. Then I read an article on the use of molasses as a means to develop nutrients in the soil. Turns out molasses is an excellent organic vitalizing agent. Tomatoes are looking much better. Come on, Matters!

Molasses does not develop nutrients in the soil. It is a food source for soil microbes. The microbes are what changes fertilizer and organic matter into a form that plants can uptake.

 

[lifegardener]

Anytime, for well-aged compost, and especially during the fruiting period.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

This question always reminds me of my dads tomato plants. We had chickens, and the chicken manure would be cleaned out of the coop and kept in a pile next to the veggie garden. Naturally over time the pile would just get bigger. As his tomato plants produced, any fruits that had worms, or an overnight animal decided to munch on it, that one would be toss on the manure pile. So this is in Ohio, where winter can get down to 10 below zero, lots of snow as early as mid November. But come the next spring, out poking from the manure pile would be baby tomato plants, dad would just simply transplant them to a row.

 

[HowrdJns899]

I have already planted seedlings, but I will plant them in the ground only in a month somewhere, now it's still cool