If any of you have ever tried tomato gardening in containers, here is a fantastic way to grow bumper crops organically:

• 50% worm castings
• 25% organic substrate mix*
• 25% perlite

Combine (by volume):

Feed with one of the following teas every watering:

The teas I use are made by soaking a “tea bag” (got mine at Worm’s Way) in a 5-gallon bucket of pH = 6.2 water. Agitate and manipulate the bag a LOT to release as much of the “goodies” as possible – the water looks like it came from a mud puddle when you’ve got it right. I do one thing other growers mention doing – I measure the ppm of my tea.

Here are the contents of the tea bag, depending on growth stage:

Young plants up to flowering:

• 1/2 cup Peruvian Seabird Guano
• 1/2 cup worm castings.
• 1/2 cup of Maxi-Crop liquid seaweed
• 2 Tablespoons of Alaska fish emulsion.

(I shoot for a ppm = 1000)

Flowering and fruiting:
(weeks 0-4)

• 1/2 cup Peruvian Seabird Guano
• 1/2 cup High Phosphorus bat guano.
• 1/2 cup of Maxi-Crop

(ppm 1250 – 1500 )

Fruiting:
(weeks 4-7)
1/2 cup High Phosphorus bat guano
1/2 cup worm castings
(shifting ppm from 1500 – 1000)

Water BY HAND! At least get an accurate feel for how much the average plant needs by hand-watering before setting up a drip system.

* organic substrate mix:
2 parts Sphagnum peat moss (fine)
2 parts vermiculite (fine)
1 part kelp meal
limestone