[patriot08]

Our local Corpus Christi, Tx weatherman, Dale Nelson, grows super tomatoes.

There are two Tomato formulas.

One formula for sandy soil and one for clay soil. The first time you use the tomato formula use the “Original” formula no matter what type of soil you have.

Original Formula / Sandy Soil
1 cup 10-20-10 (1-2-1 ratio) fertilizer
1/4 cup super phosphate
1/2 cup gypsum
2 cups cow manure
Dig a hole and mix ingredients. Then, add regular dirt on top of formula before placing tomato plant in hole. Otherwise, formula will burn the roots of the plant. Don’t let formula touch the roots when they are first planted. Let the plant grow into the formula. Water regularly. Stand back and watch them grow! Best varieties are Sonny, Bingo, Carnival, Heatwave, Celebrity, Big Boy, Better Boy and President. Best cherry tomatoes to use are small Fry and Cherry Grande. Everything needed is available at any local nursery.

Caution: Please be aware that excessive use of phosphorus in our clay soil over a long period of time can be non beneficial to your plants.

Clay Soil*
1 Cup 21-0-0 (1-0-0 Ratio) Ammonium Sulphate
3/4 Cup Gypsum
2 Cups Cow Manure
Mix these ingredients together with existing garden soil and plant one tomato plant per hole mixture.

*Most clay soils in this area already have too much super phosphate, which tends to stay in the soil for a long period of time. The local nursery people tell me, the best way to correct this is by adding ammonium sulphate which is 21-0-0.

http://corpuschristihomeandgarden.com/component/content/article/1217

[JustaDumbBlonde]

Thank you for that information. Interesting and I’ll definitely look into it.

[MissMagnolia]

Here's another 'recipe' for consideration. I used this one last year very successfully - I'd been hearing about it for a couple of years on Andre Viette's radio program so I decided to try it:

Mike's Tomato Soil

Evidently, Mike uses the same soil every year, with no crop rotation & has great tomatoes. I had some of the nicest, most trouble-free tomato plants that I've ever grown.

[Sarajevo]

*Most clay soils in this area already have too much super phosphate, which tends to stay in the soil for a long period of time. The local nursery people tell me, the best way to correct this is by adding ammonium sulphate which is 21-0-0.

If I remember my soils correctly, ammonium sulphate will sour the soil (lower the pH) and allow plants to take up the nutrients in the soil. If the pH is too high, the nutrients remain locked in the soil.

I've been using ferrous sulphate around my plants in the Hill Country for that same purpose.

[painter]

How about a fertilizer formula for potatoes? My potato patch has run out of gas and hardly puts out potatoes.