On Monday, September 17, 2012 1:41:02 PM UTC+1, Judith wrote:
I wonder if people go to any trouble in preparing a mix of compost etc for

putting their tomatoes in when they plant out in to 10" pots or whatever.



The reason that I ask is that I used that Verve rubbish compost this year for

some of my pots and I noticed that some of them retained much more water that

others. I have a dripper system and some were having standing water on the

surface - others weren't. When I investigated it was the worst of the Verve

which was retaining much more water.



Some of those are now developing the stalk splitting and cracking and the

yellow leaves which I understand can be caused indirectly by over watering.



Of course I need not drip water them every day - but I would rather prepare the

same compost/sand/vermiculite mixture or whatever others recommend this next

year.



I mix my own compost for tomatoes in tubs, but I try not to make it too nutritious for the plants initially because I find that the plants grow vast quantities of leaves but do not have many flowers.

Only when the first fruits have appeared do I start feeding the plants with a homemade liquid feed.

The compost for my plants is usually a mixture of bought peat compost, home produced compost, home produced leaf mould and a hand full of blood, fish and bone.

I did try the council bagged recycled compost once but the results were so disappointing that I will not use it again except maybe for a mulch.

John