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Organic potato fertiliser on tomatoes

tomhumftomhumf Posts: 65
edited April 2021 in Fruit & veg
I've just ordered a big tub of vitax organic pot fertilizer for our potatoes. I'm wanting to keep everything organic. So far the tomato beds just had compost and a light sprinkle of chicken manure pellets a few months ago.

There seems to be a million ways of feeding tomatoes, and I often read of using tomato food on potatoes. Would I be ok to use this potato feed on my tomatoes? 

I'd like to keep things simple and not have to think about loads of different types of feeds, or over feeding with liquid tomato feed. I'm new to gardening. Thanks 

Posts

  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    As you may know,  potatoes  & tomatoes are in the same family,  and both are known as hungry feeders.  I see no reason not to use it for both. The only thing I would say is ,as you have already used chicken pellets, let the plants get to  a good size before putting anything else on them.  It is possible to over do it. 
    AB Still learning

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I don’t know what Vitax potato fertiliser contains but tomatoes need fertiliser high in potassium to encourage flowers and then fruit. 

    Flowers and fruit are not what potatoes are about so I suspect the potato fertiliser is formulated differently. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Desi_in_LondonDesi_in_London Posts: 731
    @Dovefromabove knows infinitely more about gardening than I do , but my tuppence worth follows. I've just looked up the composition of the Vitax tomato feed ( liquid concentrate ) and the Vitax potato fertiliser ( slow release non soluble i think assuming i found the right kind , to be sprinkled at planting) -- and the tomato is NPK 4-2-6 , and the potato 4-2.5-8 , so close enough not to matter in composition? I expect that a soluble feed ( whether liquid or soluble powder to be applied after dilution in watering) would be faster acting -- frankly the all purpose ( soluble powder) food is similar ratio of key nutrients as well , so seems to me the only meaningful difference is the speed of action between slow release and the weekly/fortnightly feeding of the tomato / all purpose soluble kind. < and I'll leave it to more informed folks to opine whether both needed or one superior> 
    Kindness is always the right choice.
  • tomhumftomhumf Posts: 65
    I think it's pretty high K value... Not sure though maybe Tomato food is higher:

    Key Information:

    • NPK 4-2.5-8
    • 100% organic natural goodness enriches compost
    • Promotes bumper potato harvests
    • Provides a slow release of nutrients
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited April 2021
    Looks like the potato fertiliser is higher in potassium than the tomato. 

    What do others think?
    @BobTheGardener? 

    What I would say is dont feed your tomatoes until the first truss of tomatoes has set, otherwise you’ll get more leaves than fruit. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    The NPK ratio is virtually identical to the best known tomato feed so no problems there, but as @Dovefromabove says, best not to feed tomatoes until the first fruits set, so adding it before planting isn't ideal.  However, there may be a way around that, by fertilizing the bed with the potato feed granules, but then pulling the soil back from the planting holes, filling them with MPC and then planting into that.  The idea being that it will take the roots time to grow through the less nutritious MPC, and they will (hopefully) only reach the 'enhanced' compost once they are in flower.  I do similar with well-rotted manure incorporated into the planting medium, but with a large 'plug' of MPC which they roots have to grow through before reaching it.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I knew @BobTheGardener
    would formulate a plan 😉 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • tomhumftomhumf Posts: 65
    Ok thanks everyone. I'm planning to plant quite a lot of tomatoes in polytunnel so will test out a few things, thinking of no feed, some of this and some other options. Glad to know this could be a possible option.
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