Things To Put On Your Tomato Planting Hole

1. Baking Soda
It works and really a good trick (especially when you’re growing tomatoes in containers) if you want sweeter tomatoes. Simply sprinkle a small amount of baking soda around the base of your tomato plants. The baking soda will be absorbed into the soil and lower the acidity levels, thus, giving you tomatoes that are more sweet than tart.

2. Fish heads
Fish heads have been used as a natural fertilizer in the garden for a long time. Their popularity with tomato planting is not a myth that needs to be busted. It works! Their decay releases nitrogen, potassium, many essential trace elements, calcium, and phosphorous. The only problem with burying fish heads is that critters may dig them up. To avoid this, bury deeply, at least a foot. You can drop them into the hole whole or use groundfish scraps, which you can mix with water (2 cups) and milk (1 cup) for a supercharge solution. If you want to read more on this, here’s an article in detail!

3. Aspirin
Drop 2-3 aspirin tablets in the hole, either whole or ground; this is to boost plant immunity. It also helps to ward off diseases like blight and increases yield. The salicylic acid, a compound in aspirin, is the reason why it works. You can also spray plants with the solution containing this drug. If you want to read more about ASPIRIN uses on tomato plants in detail, visit DailyMail UK.

4. Eggshells
Eggshells boost the calcium content in the soil. And just like us, Calcium is one of the most essential components that a plant needs for growth. Here’s a very educative article to read; it also helps prevent blossom end rot. Whether you’re planting tomatoes in the garden bed or containers, you can always put eggshells before planting.

5. Epsom Salt
Tomatoes suffer from magnesium deficiency. That is why it’s a good idea to add 1 or 2 tablespoons of Epsom salt while transplanting the seedling to the bottom of the planting hole (both in containers or a garden bed). Cover this with a thin layer of soil; this is to make sure that roots are not directly touching Epsom salt.

6. Kelp Meal
Kelp meal is rich in micro-nutrients and trace elements. It provides complete nutrients for plants, and the addition of kelp gives tomatoes a turbo-boosted start. Slow-release kelp fertilizer contains the tomato with sufficient nutrients over a period which prevents the plant from experiencing shock as is with the use of excess fertilizers. One cup full of kelp meal is adequate for the plant at the time of planting. If you want to read more about kelp fertilizer, click here!

7. Bone Meal
Similar to a kelp meal, a bone meal is also an addition to the tomato hole during planting. A handful or cup full of bone meal is essential for the blossoming and quality fruits of the tomato plant since it provides the much-needed phosphorus nutrient, which is one of the most vital components for healthy tomato growth.

8. Used coffee grounds
Add well-composted coffee grounds to the planting hole when transplanting tomato seedlings to improve soil composition and provide a source of slow-release nutrients to your plants. It is an excellent source of fertilizer and can be used even as mulch. We have written a comprehensive guide on coffee ground uses; take a look!