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Tomatoes go through several stages of development before sowing, each of which requires a different type of soil in which tomato plants can develop. This includes the potting soil, suitable soil for pricking out and the substrate for the adult plants in the vegetable patch or tub until harvest. You can easily produce these substrates yourself and do not have to rely on expensive tomato soil from specialist shops, which would simply be too expensive for sowing many specimens.
potting soil
The potting soil is the first station for the future tomato plants and is used from sowing the seeds to pricking out the seedlings, which then need a different tomato soil. The potting soil differs fundamentally from the substrates for pricking out and for the adult plants, as it is extremely poor in nutrients. The minerals in the soil would only clog the seedlings and burn them. For this reason, a lean tomato soil is recommended. The following applies here: the less nutrient-poor the soil for cultivation, the stronger the seedlings have to develop roots that look for the nutrients in the soil.
Prick tomatoes at the right time
The following substrates are suitable for this:
- Cultivation or seed soil from the trade
- Sand and pure peat in a mixing ratio of 1:1
- White peat, natural clay and perlite (uniform soil)
Notice: If you cannot find pure peat or if it is too expensive to buy, you can also use coconut humus. This is very well suited as a peat-free variant and works against the draining of the moor areas in Europe.
mix earth
Mix potting soil: a guide
If you do not want to use any of the above substrates, you should make the potting soil yourself. Since the basis for home-made soil for cultivating tomato plants is simple garden soil, this is a cost-effective alternative to the quite expensive tomato soil in stores. Except for the necessary sand, you can actually take all the components from your own garden or from friends or neighbors if you have the right connections.
You can make the potting soil yourself with the following components:
- garden soil
- Sand: quartz sand is recommended because it does not compact the substrate
- Compost: Compost made from green waste is recommended
When choosing the garden soil, you must make sure that you do not simply use the top layer of soil. This is not ideal for the growing soil and oversalts the seedlings. It is best to remove garden soil from a depth of at least 15 centimeters and use it for the mixture. An alternative is the churned up garden soil of a fresh molehill. Now you can start mixing the tomato soil for growing.
mix soil yourself
1st step: Before you can use the garden soil, you must first sterilize it. Sterilizing rids the garden soil of the following, mostly harmful or disease-causing, organisms.
- bacteria
- insect eggs
- viruses
- spores of fungi
2nd step: Sieve the garden soil, put it in a container that is heat-resistant, such as a casserole dish or roman pot, and put it in the oven. The garden soil remains there for 30 minutes at a temperature of 150°C in the setting for top and bottom heat. Alternatively, you can use a microwave oven and sterilize the garden soil within ten minutes at 800 watts.
3rd step: Now you can either leave the garden soil in the container or transfer it to a larger one. Depending on the amount of substrate required, it is advisable to decant it.
4th step: Then mix the garden soil with the quartz sand and the compost in a mixing ratio of 1:1:1.
5th step: Fill the seed tray or containers with the tomato soil you have made yourself.
Tip: You can also use other sand instead of quartz sand. However, quartz sand has the best properties as it provides effective drainage due to the angular shape of the sand grains.
Grow your own tomatoes in the garden
quality
Pay attention to quality
If you decide on a tomato soil from the trade or have to order or buy individual components, you should always pay attention to the quality. High-quality tomato soil not only ensures a more productive harvest, but also healthier plants that are not as susceptible to diseases or pests. If possible, avoid substrates that consist mostly of peat. These have a negative effect on the tomato plants because they contain too many mineral salts and lime. This in turn leads to increased use of fertilizers and pesticides to keep the tomatoes healthy.
The following components indicate a recommended substrate:
- sound encores
- perlite
- Humus, for example from bark
- organic long-term fertilizer
pricking earth
After the seedlings of the tomatoes have grown sufficiently over the first few weeks, they must be pricked out. That means you have to place the tomato plants in individual pots filled with a completely different tomato soil. This is richer in nutrients and supplies the hungry plants for the next few weeks until they mature into strong young plants that can then be planted in the garden or separate containers. If you decide to buy tomato soil, you should choose one of the following variants.
- classic vegetable soil, enriched with perlite, sand or peat in a ratio of 1:2
- Uniform soil with proportions of compost from green waste
After sowing, plant the tomatoes individually in pots
manufacturing
Making pricking soil: a guide
If you don't like using the above-mentioned pricking soil for your young tomatoes, you should make them yourself. As with the growing substrate, components from your own garden can be used, but more components are required compared to this.
For this you need:
- sterilized garden soil
- perlite or coconut fibers
- Bark humus
- Green waste compost
- Sand: Quartz sand is also recommended here
The perlite or coconut fibers are necessary to store enough moisture in the pricking soil without putting the soil under water. Waterlogging is not ideal for the tomatoes and can lead to the rotting of the young roots, which are extremely delicate at this stage of growth. Even if you have enough sand available for drainage, this can happen.
How to make your own prickly soil:
1st step: Sieve and sterilize the garden soil (see above). Since you need less garden soil for the pricking soil, in most cases you don't even have to refill the soil.
2nd step: Add the remaining ingredients to the garden soil and mix well together. Make sure that there are no coarse parts or clumped parts left over so that the tomato soil does not obstruct the roots of the young tomatoes. You must observe the following mixing ratio.
- Garden soil: 1.5 parts
- Perlite/coir fibers: 4 parts
- Humus: 1 part
- Sand: 1 part
- Compost 2.5 parts
3rd step:Then fill the tomato soil in the pots provided for pricking out and put the young tomatoes in them. This substrate gives the seedlings a real boost of energy, which they will need over the coming weeks to mature into large tomato plants.
Plant tomatoes in the garden
soil condition
outdoor
For the vegetable patch, you will need to prepare your soil if it is not ideal for the tomato plants. Tomatoes require soil that is endowed with the following characteristics.
- humorous
- permeable
- nutritious
- fresh
- wet
- free of coarse components (plant parts, bark, larger stones)
If you cannot provide the tomato plants with such a soil, you should treat it with the following components.
- nutrient-poor soils: Work in horn shavings, horn meal or garden compost
- sandy soils: loosen with bentonite or zeolite
- loamy soils: Work in quartz sand or lava chippings (fine-grained).
It is also necessary to provide the soil in the garden with the necessary trace minerals to maintain the vitality of the nightshade plant. So that Solanum lycopersicum has sufficient minerals available, it is advisable to incorporate soil additives. A classic is primary rock flour, which is obtained from lava rock or basalt and optimizes the tomato soil. In addition, primary rock flour protects the tomatoes from pests such as snails or aphids. Furthermore, the pH value of the tomato soil must be considered. The tomato plant thrives best in slightly acidic soil with an alkalinity of between 6.5 and 7. If your outdoor tomato soil cannot meet these values, here are the steps you should take.
- acidic soils: Work in lime (rock flour, garden lime, algae lime)
- alkaline soils: Incorporate sulfur (blue corn before, Epsom salts after planting)
Tomatoes as a container plant
Bucket attitude
Keeping the tomatoes in tubs is quite easy, since ready-made substrates can be used without any problems compared to the location in the vegetable patch.
The best for this are:
- high-quality vegetable soil
- high-quality potting soil
- special tomato soil from specialist shops
You can mix these with the following ingredients to provide an optimal basis for the formation of the coveted fruits. This does not apply to tomato soil from specialist shops.
- horn shavings
- horn meal
- matured garden compost
- organic fertilizers
- for drainage: grit, perlite, potsherds and gravel
The soil is simply filled into the bucket after you have selected a drainage system and laid a garden fleece over it that is permeable to air and water. This prevents waterlogging, the roots can breathe and absorb sufficient nutrients from the soil.