Living Soil

Raised beds and vegetable gardens

Tomatoes: best soil mix and feeding guide

Tomatoes is in Living Soil's Raised beds and vegetable gardens group. Filling a bed, and keeping it good year after year. Its guide gathers what published references say about soil pH, feeding, spotting problems, leaf tests, cautions, mixes and where the sources differ, with 6 mixes that suit it.

What the tomatoes guide covers

Every item carries the reference behind it. Where references disagree, the guide shows both.

  • Soil pH7
  • Feeding16
  • Spotting problems8
  • Leaf tests12
  • Cautions9
  • Mixes2
  • Where the sources differ2

The count is how many sourced items each part of the guide holds.

Mixes that suit tomatoes

Raised bed fill

A solid raised bed fill with plenty of body and a modest boost of organic richness. Pair it with a soil test, which tells you what your bed still needs.

Rich raised bed fill

A far richer bed fill, packed with organic matter that feeds the soil life. Sources disagree on how rich a bed should be, and the app shows both views.

Sandy container vegetable mix

A sandy, free draining mix for potted herbs, tomatoes and peppers. It is normally made with a slow release feed mixed in.

Compost and bark container vegetable mix

A rich container vegetable mix that holds water and nutrients well and keeps its structure. A good base for potted herbs, tomatoes and peppers.

2 mixes are made just for tomatoes, inside its guide.

Feeds made for it

Quick comfrey leaf feed

A fast potassium lift for hungry crops such as tomatoes, and a grower favorite. It is plant based, so there are no germ worries like with manure brews.

Wide purpose organic vegetable fertilizer

A wide purpose organic fertilizer for nearly every vegetable and herb in the garden, from tomatoes to thyme. A grower's method, with tips for heavy soil.

Each mix comes with the reference behind every figure, measured for your batch, pots or bed.

Good to know

  • pH: the references give 6 to 6.5 for raised beds and vegetable gardens in general. The tomatoes guide adds its own pH notes.
  • The mistake to avoid: Amending and feeding without a soil test.
  • Also known as: tomato, cherry tomato, beefsteak tomato, paste tomato, better boy, brandywine, cherokee purple, currant tomato, determinate tomato, early girl, grape tomato, heirloom tomato, indeterminate tomato, patio tomato, plum tomato, roma, roma tomato, san marzano, semi-determinate tomato, slicing tomato, sun gold and sungold

Questions

What is the best soil for tomatoes?

Living Soil lists 6 mixes that suit tomatoes, each from a published reference. They include Raised bed fill, Rich raised bed fill, Sandy container vegetable mix and Compost and bark container vegetable mix. 2 are made just for it. The app measures any of them for your batch, pots or bed.

What pH does tomatoes need?

The references give pH 6 to 6.5 for raised beds and vegetable gardens in general. The tomatoes guide adds its own pH notes.

Is the tomatoes guide free?

Its overview is free: what the guide covers and which mixes suit it. Opening the full guide takes credits, and the app shows the price before you confirm. Credits never expire.

Grow tomatoes on the right soil.

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