Here's the question: In your opinion..do I really need to fertilize these plants in these conditions? Or would it be sufficient to feel the tomatoes (which I realize are heavy feeders) with a solution of compost or manure tea? I see so many points of information here and elsewhere that I admit I'm thoroughly confused. I realize the question I am quoting is from March 2006 and the thread has long since diverged into another (interesting) discussion, but I think the question posed is well worth spending a bit of time on. The question, as I read it is this: Do I need to fertilize (name the plant here) if I grow it in (fill in the growing medium here). The answer is, the plant will tell you. Unfortunately the plant won't tell you in a timely manner. It will tell you only after you notice the effects of the plant getting too much or too little of something. There really is no shortcut to experience and don't be in any rush to have perfect growing results from day one. There is always the farmer's market or grocery when the garden plants fail ;-) It simply takes time to learn what conditions a given plant does best in and all the guides in the world are, at best, approximations and often they are simply inaccurate or only accurate in the writer's growing conditions. As an example, srburk said in his OP that he realizes tomatos are heavy feeders. Now, where did s/he get that idea from? No criticism of srburk intended at all, it is a common misperception propagated by many sources. Tomatos are not heavy feeders, they are moderate feeders. This is an example of the kind of misinformation involved in gardening that is spread by many otherwise helpful and knowlegable sources. How on earth can the newbie seperate the wheat from the chaff? It can't really be done. Nothing short cuts experience with a plant. Whether or not a plant requires supplemental fertilization or not can really only be determined by the grower after observing the plant. If you know you are growing in a nutrient poor condition (like growing in containers) then you can pretty much be assured that supplementation will be required, but when growing in soil amended with organic matter, the plants simply have to be observed. There is no short cut.

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Just came across your note on the mishap you had in the restaurant. The pics made my bones ache. You must have a high level of pain tolerance. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Yes to lack of merchandise. I hate spending hours online trying to sift out what I want, especially when it isn't anything that unusual. Finally found the fairy books for little girls I wanted, and now have to take back three that I ordered from Amazon before finding the right ones. I am now waiting for an animal fuzzy hat for a baby which I thought would be all over the local stores but was not and then I found that the best ones online could not make it to me by my cut off date before we leave for the holiday. Sometimes I think I could make it in retail considering how poor of a job most of our local shops are doing, then I have to ask myself which came first, lack of customers or lack of selection and quality goods? I used to work at a high-end plant nursery and I see they have cut way back, which is probably a result of their nice stuff rotting in the store in previous years, not enough customers. A large array of bedding plants is a middle class luxury and the middle class has been grievously gutted in my region.