P? K? Or Leave Them Alone?

16 years ago

I have a serious genetic disability. I was born without that part of the brain that allows people to understand fishing or gardening. Ive been fishing for over 15 years and IÂve caught exactly 7 fish. And in Maine for crying out loud! An anglerÂs paradise.

Last year I made the logical decision to abandon the easiest hobby in Maine (fishing) to try my luck at the most difficult hobby in Maine (gardening).

It is not easy to grow tomatoes in Maine. We have slightly over 3 months to get everything right before the first frost.

I learned two important lessons last season.

1) If you neglect to water, foliar feed and fertilize your plants they will die.

2) If you devotedly spend the necessary time and effort to water, foliar feed and fertilize your plants they will die.

I have no idea what IÂm doing right or wrong but so far this year my tomato plants are looking good in this short Maine season.

They are still small compared to most photos IÂve seen on this Website, but all I can reasonably expect at Week 5 in this brief Zone 4-5 growing season. The weather is ideal and I hope to see some good growth before the early September frost.

I am beginning to understand that N is not a good thing to overdo with tomatoes; that there comes a time when P and K become invaluable. Now that my small plants are flowering and some small green tomatoes are beginning to appear I wonder what to do next. Is it time to give them a small dose of P or K? Or simply leave them alone?

Fred in Maine

Comments (10)

sandra_christie
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Fred is funny!
trudi_d
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Tomato plant food is the way to go. Look for any product that says 10-12-12 and follow the instructions for application.
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timmy1
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
This may sound crazy to you but

The correct answer is...

You would need to do a tissue analysis in order to tell.

any other answer is just a guess.
crabjoe
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Fred,

I have to agree with Sandra. You just crack me up! If you make it down my way, I'll take you fishing. Even if you don't catch anything, I figure, I'll at least get a good laugh.

I still don't see how one catches only 7 fish in 15 years. But then again, they call it fishing, not catching. If you want to catch fish up there, find a farm pond. If you can't catch 7 sunfish in less then an hour there, you really need to stick to gardening.

BTW, I finally made it out for a few hours of fishing yesterday (1st time out this year). The bay was windy and rough (NOAA weather said 3ft seas in the bay and had a small craft advisory out) in a friends 21ft flats boat, but I managed to catch a couple Stripers. I'm hoping to get out again next weekend, so if you wanna go, come on down!
dirt_poet
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
How did you prepare the soil prior to planting?
Fred_in_Maine
Original Author
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Good question Dirt Poet. How did I prepare the soil? I wish I had a good answer but the truth is that I dont know how to do that. All I know about soil is that it is dirty. And that it requires that I select the Full Wash button on my washing machine. I must confess that I am to gardening what Barbara Bush is to professional wrestling; the kind of mismatch people would pay to watch.

Fearing an early defeat at the strong hands of natural forces beyond my scope of abilities I simply purchased all my soil; about 80% topsoil and 20% composted cow manure. I am not familiar with the correct technical terms, but I would say that the texture of the soil is a combination of gritty, crunchy and flaky. Rather like the obnoxious pop-up ad for Honey Bunches of Oats that keeps appearing on this Website.

Fred in Maine
timmy1
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
and I thought I was the only one with the Honey Bunches of Oats lady.

Hey, you guys think that hair net she is wearing is sexy too...
sandra_christie
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Yup, Fred is definitely funny.
And a good sense of humor is surely needed for growing tomatoes!!
Fred_in_Maine
Original Author
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Timmy, you sure got that right. Not the Honey Bunches of Oats sexy hair net but the advice about tissue analysis. I only wish I knew how to get a tissue analysis done.

Everyone knows more than I do. For anyone who might be able to offer even a small speck of wisdom, here is my story:

Last season was my first attempt at gardening. I learned that I am not blessed with a green thumb. On the evolutionary scale of gardening talent I dont even have opposable thumbs. I care for plants about as well as Godzilla cared for Tokyo.

This year I have been trying to learn as much as possible so that I might do a better job. This is what I have done so far:

May 27: Last Frost Date. 8 - 10 a.m. planted seedlings. 11 a.m. checked to see how much they had grown since planting. Noon, no signs of progress. 2:30 p.m. still no signs of growth. 5:00 p.m. everything still looks stagnant.

May 28: Worried and confused I ran out and purchased MG Tomato Formula, Tomato Tone, Bone Meal, Blood Meal, Lime Pro, Green Sand, Triple Phosphate, Tomato Maker BER Solution, Fish & Kelp Emulsion, Peace of Mind Tomato Formula and a pH testing kit. (Soil test resulted in a pH of 6.5 on the Richter Scale)

June 1: I erected a Scarecrow to stand guard over the garden.

June 2: The next day there is a bird boldly perched on the head of my Scarecrow pulling out the hair to build her nest.

June 9: I spotted a yellowing leaf with some tiny orange dots.

June 10: Worried and confused I ran out and purchased Daconil, Mancozeb, Maneb, Bordeaux Mixture and Liquid Copper Fungicide. Worked some Tomato Tone 4-7-10 (3% Calcium) into the soil. Foliar sprayed with Daconil and watered with Fish & Kelp Emulsion 3-2-2. Trust me, I didnt catch the fish for the emulsion.

June 17: Side dressed with Tomato Tone. Found that my spinach was being eaten by our local neighborhood ground hog. Borrowed my neighbors dog to stand guard.

June 19: 2 days later I found a slug. Broke open my penny jar and lined all my wood-framed tomato boxes with a wall of copper. Remembered to feed the dog.

June 21: 2 days later I watered with MG 18-18-21. As an afterthought I remembered to give the dog some water.

June 23: 2 days later I am worried and confused. The dog is not looking well. My neighbor took him back. Our local neighborhood groundhog regains his territory. All my Spinach is gone.

June 28: Watered with Fish & Kelp emulsion 3-2-2. Sprayed the perimeter of my garden with Fox Urine. I seriously doubt that our local neighborhood groundhog will even recognize the odor. Nobody has ever seen a fox in these parts.

June 29: The next day a fox showed up looking for a territorial fight. I thanked God that I didnt spray my garden with Mountain Lion urine.

June 30: MG and Fish/Kelp Watering. MG and Fish/Kelp foliar spray. I found an Orient Express cucumber 35 days ahead of schedule. It is 9 inches long. Ill give it just one more day.

July 1: The next day my prize cucumber is gone. I purchased a faux owl. Even up close it looks very real.

July 2: The following morning Ravens are raping the owl. My Scarecrow is bald. The local neighborhood groundhog is peeing all over the fox urine to reclaim his territory. Cats are pooping in my garden. I consider applying for membership in the National Rifle Association.

July 3: MG watering and MG foliar feed. Fish & Kelp watering and F & K foliar spray. Daconil spray and my last Aspirin dissolved in a gallon of water for an Aspirin spray. Then I get a headache.

July 4th: Plenty of crisp garden lettuce for the burgers. Fed my neighbors dog a huge steak cooked on the grill. Its the least I can do.
timmy1
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Ok,

A tissue analysis can be done at

Waters Agricultural Laboratories

I have attached a link.

P? K? Or Leave Them Alone?

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P? K? Or Leave Them Alone?

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