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Feeding (or fertilizing) tomatoes is one of those subjects that new gardeners seem to worry a lot about however you should take a deep breath and relax because whilst it is a relatively involved and difficult subject to master it is, fortunately, very unlikely that you will do anything disastrous here. Location, soil, watering and pests are far more likely to have a serious impact on your plants.
Having said that, there are a few things that will make your feeding practices more successful if you follow them... (please note that this article is focussed towards chemical fertilization of Indeterminate varieties in a home garden)
1) Tomatoes are heavy feeders: My Uncles are heavy drinkers so it's nice to know there is a balance in the world... but seriously tomatoes will suck nutrients from the soil like a... hmm, well I am not going to finish that statement but you get the idea. The point is that your soil will need to be nutritious to start with, you will need to replace the lost nutrients through the season and you should rotate your crop to a different patch of dirt each year for best effect.
2) Tomatoes like acid soils: Ideally for our soil we should be aiming for a slightly acidic soil of between 6.2 and 6.8 pH. Having your soil tested for acid / alkaline balance and also for nutrients is a vital step for the new gardener. Old hands will often skip the testing process (sometimes to their loss) but if this is your first attempt you definitely should get your soil tested. There will be enough to learn as you go along without adding unnecessarily to the complexity.
3) N-P-K isn't a new rapper: You will hear a lot about N-P-K balance... and occasionally witness the on-line equivalent of a bar-room brawl... because there are as many opinions about the correct balance as there are gardeners. The problem stems from the fact that regardless of the balance you will use you will still grow tomatoes.
Tomatoes are pretty resilient and as long as they get fed correctly they will be ok... however, what you feed your tomatoes will definitely have an effect on the quality of your crop. High Nitrogen feeds early in the season will produce lots of vine and foliage but not great fruit. On the other hand Nitrogen is used at an ever increasing rate throughout the season and if it is not replaced the plant will suffer and your season could end earlier than expected.
My general recommendations are to start with a balanced feed ratio (an 8-8-8 or 10-10-10 mix) if feeding when you plant. To use a 5-10-5 ratio at first fruit set and to gradually increase the Nitrogen and Phosphorus (helps with disease resistance and fruiting) amounts throughout the season. In other words shift back to a balanced ratio when the second cluster starts to flower and as the plant establishes itself move on to a 15-10-15 mix (or equivalent ratio).
The greatest problem with giving exact recommendations for N-P-K balances out is that there is no absolute right formula for every situation and set of local conditions so keep that in mind also.
4) When to feed your babies: Generally I don't advocate feeding freshly transplanted plants if your soil is fine to start with (and if it isn't you should get it right before planting). Young seedlings can be burned very easily and often you can get by without feeding them until first fruit set. At this point I like to help the plant along with a booster (higher phosphorous mix) and then settle into a general feeding pattern every few weeks depending on the plants general condition.
5) How to feed tomatoes correctly: Fortunately the actual feeding of your plants is the easiest part of the whole exercise. The vital thing to remember is never get the fertilizer on the plant, or near it for that matter. A minimum of three inches away from the stem for diluted (half strength) mixtures to a foot away for full strength ones. Other than that simply follow the manufacturers instructions.
In Closing: Tomatoes are a fairly robust plant and they stand up well to a little deprivation so don't stress over the issue of feeding too much. Mainly focus on getting your soil right, planting your plants in the correct spot and establishing a good routine of watering and pruning. If you do these things well your plants will survive. The exact best ratios and types of feeds you will need to get the absolute best from your plants will be something that comes to you with experience.
Feeding (or fertilizing) tomatoes is one of those subjects that new gardeners seem to worry a lot about however you should take a deep breath and relax because whilst it is a relatively involved and difficult subject to master it is, fortunately, very unlikely that you will do anything disastrous here. Location, soil, watering and pests are far more likely to have a serious impact on your plants.
Having said that, there are a few things that will make your feeding practices more successful if you follow them... (please note that this article is focussed towards chemical fertilization of Indeterminate varieties in a home garden)
1) Tomatoes are heavy feeders: My Uncles are heavy drinkers so it's nice to know there is a balance in the world... but seriously tomatoes will suck nutrients from the soil like a... hmm, well I am not going to finish that statement but you get the idea. The point is that your soil will need to be nutritious to start with, you will need to replace the lost nutrients through the season and you should rotate your crop to a different patch of dirt each year for best effect.
2) Tomatoes like acid soils: Ideally for our soil we should be aiming for a slightly acidic soil of between 6.2 and 6.8 pH. Having your soil tested for acid / alkaline balance and also for nutrients is a vital step for the new gardener. Old hands will often skip the testing process (sometimes to their loss) but if this is your first attempt you definitely should get your soil tested. There will be enough to learn as you go along without adding unnecessarily to the complexity.
3) N-P-K isn't a new rapper: You will hear a lot about N-P-K balance... and occasionally witness the on-line equivalent of a bar-room brawl... because there are as many opinions about the correct balance as there are gardeners. The problem stems from the fact that regardless of the balance you will use you will still grow tomatoes.
Tomatoes are pretty resilient and as long as they get fed correctly they will be ok... however, what you feed your tomatoes will definitely have an effect on the quality of your crop. High Nitrogen feeds early in the season will produce lots of vine and foliage but not great fruit. On the other hand Nitrogen is used at an ever increasing rate throughout the season and if it is not replaced the plant will suffer and your season could end earlier than expected.
My general recommendations are to start with a balanced feed ratio (an 8-8-8 or 10-10-10 mix) if feeding when you plant. To use a 5-10-5 ratio at first fruit set and to gradually increase the Nitrogen and Phosphorus (helps with disease resistance and fruiting) amounts throughout the season. In other words shift back to a balanced ratio when the second cluster starts to flower and as the plant establishes itself move on to a 15-10-15 mix (or equivalent ratio).
The greatest problem with giving exact recommendations for N-P-K balances out is that there is no absolute right formula for every situation and set of local conditions so keep that in mind also.
4) When to feed your babies: Generally I don't advocate feeding freshly transplanted plants if your soil is fine to start with (and if it isn't you should get it right before planting). Young seedlings can be burned very easily and often you can get by without feeding them until first fruit set. At this point I like to help the plant along with a booster (higher phosphorous mix) and then settle into a general feeding pattern every few weeks depending on the plants general condition.
5) How to feed tomatoes correctly: Fortunately the actual feeding of your plants is the easiest part of the whole exercise. The vital thing to remember is never get the fertilizer on the plant, or near it for that matter. A minimum of three inches away from the stem for diluted (half strength) mixtures to a foot away for full strength ones. Other than that simply follow the manufacturers instructions.
In Closing: Tomatoes are a fairly robust plant and they stand up well to a little deprivation so don't stress over the issue of feeding too much. Mainly focus on getting your soil right, planting your plants in the correct spot and establishing a good routine of watering and pruning. If you do these things well your plants will survive. The exact best ratios and types of feeds you will need to get the absolute best from your plants will be something that comes to you with experience.