Re: [tomato] light, not heat
margaret lauterbach (Tomato@GlobalGarden.com)
Thu, 04 Mar 1999 09:29:22 -0700
At 11:19 AM 3/4/99 EST, you wrote:
>This is just my situation; many thanks for your research. Three years ago, I
>started tending this particular plot, which is actually outside of a
>consenting neighbor's apartment. The first year I merely twice turned the
>heavily compacted clay soil to a depth of 8 inches, removing construction
>debris like roof tiles. The second year I added 10 40-lb bags of composted
>manure on top of it. I bought the cheap stuff from Home Depot and I
>discovered that the stuff seems to be about half sand and rocks; it is rated
>.05-.05-.05. I planted the tomatoes directly in it. Both years I planted
>store-bought seedlings of tomato varieties like Early Girl, Better Boy and
>Celebrity. I thought they tasted lousy, certainly no better than
store-bought
>tomatoes which are also pretty unimpressive to me. I might as well have
>planted flowers. Since Chuck Wyatt did me the very great favor of
>recommending and sending Burbank and Red Mortgage Lifter VFN tomato seeds,
and
>since I only have room for at most six plants, I plan to plant only the
>Burbank. I live in Memphis, Tennessee, which has zone 7B hot and humid
>summers. I live in an urban apartment complex and have little access to and
>no means of transporting composted manure other than the store-bought
variety.
>I have contacted one of the better nurseries here and found that they sell a
>pure form of composted manure (I take it this means no sand and rocks) for
>$9.00 a forty lb. bag. If the information you mention below is correct,
does
>it not seem that mycorrhiza might be beneficial to my situation? After much
>consideration of evidence which you and others have provided, I think it
seems
>possible. What I really, really want is good tomatoes, this year.
>
>Thanks for your advice.
>
>Linda Kuczwanski
>
Mycorrhizae probably would be beneficial in your situation. $9 for 40 lbs.
of composted manure is way out of line, IMO. We can usually buy steer
manure (dried, no weed seeds, etc.) for 50 cents for a 20 lb. bag from Home
Depot or KMart in spring. Margaret