Growing Tomatoes???

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by Antonino Giglio, Sep 15, 2004.

  1. Antonino Giglio

    Antonino Giglio Junior Member

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    Hi guys!!!

    At school (Horticulture) our teacher gave us a "recipe" to plant tomatoes.

    I'm in Melbourne so mediterranean weather...

    His reipe to gro tomatoes is as follow:

    1) Mix soil with Dynamic Lifter (500gr per plant)
    2) After 2 weeks add Hydrocomplex (a handfull)
    3) At flowering add Calcium Nitrate
    4) At fruiting add Potassium Nitrate

    What do you think about it?

    Any suggestions?

    Ciaoooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Antonino
     
  2. Veggie Boy

    Veggie Boy Junior Member

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    Antonino - Sounds like a bit of a chemical cocktail.

    I'm fairly new to the permie and organic principals myself - being a chemical fertiliser user up until about 18 months ago. I no longer use such fertilisers, though have occasionally used a bit of dynamic lifter - though this will stop once my composting systems are fully functional.

    My main source of fertiliser is composted chook manure, liquid fertiliser made from chook manure (used during growth and fruiting cycle) and compost. I also use green manure techniques to improve soil fetility in the crop rotation. My fertiliser choices will only grow as my comfrey plants get bigger and my composting systems become more effective.

    Using natural techniques I have grown very healthy, heavy producing tomatos. My only problem with tomatos is the fruit fly which is prevalent in my area of Qld, but that is a different story.

    I honestly believe that for a domestic gardener, there should be no need to use the chemical fertilisers that are part of the stated tomato recipe. After all, one of the major reasons fro growing veggies at home is the better tasting, more healthy product that is obtained from using natural methods.

    You can easilly buy orgainc fertilisers that will replace the fertilisers mentioned in the recipe, if you are not fortunate enough to have them available through other means.
     
  3. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    g'day Antonino,

    for me any fertiliser that is man made or contrived just isn't permaculture or even organic, the way i see it even that chook pellet stuff comes from non-organic chooks lots of chemical growth promotants etc.,. used there.

    we get good results from simply using green mulches or hay or grass mulches, takes time to get this system cooking with gas so to say but then natural occurances don't happen over night do they? we have the luxury of a composting toilet so we get material from there in time and we use all our night water each day which includes dregs from drinks ie.,. tea;coffee;soft drinks etc.,. (not the cask red of course that gets saved for the next tipple lol) plus our grey water goes to feeding food trees and tomatoes, cabbages etc.,.

    don't know where you live but maybe you could source material from chemical free cattle/dairy yards, we can but don't do it often as it takes lots of effort, what we are doing is working well it is low input, high out put, good productivity, we ascribe to the K.I.S.S principal keep-it-simple-stupid (or -silly depending on your politics).

    that's our way of looking at things

    len & his lovely :p
     
  4. Antonino Giglio

    Antonino Giglio Junior Member

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    Thanks guys for the precious help!!!

    I'm very new in the field..

    At 36 years old I realized I wanted to change job and life.

    To change life I came in Australia neraly 2 years ago and to change job I started Horticultural studies.

    So I hope that in time my knowledge will grow as I wish.

    Eventhought the course I'm doing is not about organic or byodinamic horticulture (as international students I can only study in internationally approved courses) I'm very interested in the fileds.

    I'm not study at Burnley as I didn't want to do a Degree and also it is very expensive.

    The school I'm now doing is quiet good, is ran by a man who has been working more than 20 years in the industry and he was also a lecturer at Burnley. Plus he's also working as consultant for the Government to assess jobs in the field. So pretty a knowledgeable man.

    But he's not a greeny...

    He's very much onto the use of chemicals (eventhought integrated with many other approaches), and does not believe organic agriculture would be able to sustain the world food demand...

    We had a discussion in class the other days as I was asserting the contrary.

    Anyway... I'm happy to explore all different fileds to see what is happening in the area.

    Thanks again for the suggestions!!!

    Ciaoooo!!!!!!!!!!

    Antonino
     
  5. junglerikki

    junglerikki Junior Member

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    Right on! Stick it to the Man! :p
     
  6. Antonino Giglio

    Antonino Giglio Junior Member

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    ????

    sorry what does it mean??? :oops: :D

    ????

    u know that english is not my 1st language so i need sometimes to understand some way of saying.. ehehe...

    antonino
     
  7. junglerikki

    junglerikki Junior Member

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    no worries. you are doing a very good job of learning english. "Stick it to the man" means, telling those in a position of power exactly what you think & sticking up for your principals.
     
  8. Antonino Giglio

    Antonino Giglio Junior Member

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    ok, i see, thanks!!!!!!!!!

    :lol:

    hei but good suggestions for the tomatoes but.. what should i do?

    can i plant them now?

    how?

    my garden is facing north, should i plant them in a east-west line or in a north-south line?

    peter cundall said not to put any fertilizer and water untill flowers comes...
     
  9. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    plant them now and along the on a north/south line gives them even sun though the day on both sides of the plant. another trick if you are concerned about feeding them is to put 1/2 a banana or a banana skin under each seedling when you plant it, be sure to have a layer of soil between the banana and the roots of the plant. me i plant my plants all over the place to try and fool the bugs, not into multitude planting.

    don't know where you are exactly but you may want to think about fruit fly protection.

    len
     
  10. Antonino Giglio

    Antonino Giglio Junior Member

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    thanks len! any plants i can pplant with the tomatoes?
    unfortunately i have a short wall on the eat side so i don't really have always sun.
    i've a very very very small garden! i live in a house which is more a unit than a house...
    there is a wall-fence around the garden, on the east, north and west side. while the house is on the south side.
    so, the garden is attached to the house...
    the available parts for planting are against the house (north-east line) and on one the east walls (north-south line).
    the wall on the north has the gate while the wall on the west is alway on shadow because there is a plant and because on the west side the garden is smaller.
    thanks!!!!!!!!
    antonino
     

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