blogplantsfinishedIt is never too early to start planning for next Spring’s tomato season! Since my tomato-growing containers are clean and dry,  I like to add new soil and fertilizer now so it can sit and compost over the winter.  I filled the containers about ¾ full with a quality commercial potting mix that contains lots of good stuff:  forest humus, peat moss, perlite, chicken manure, worm castings, bat guano, kelp meal, alfalfa meal, oyster shell, and lime ( a pH adjuster.)  I topped this off with a two- inch layer of composted chicken manure.  Lastly, I soaked the whole thing with Great Big Tomatoes liquid compost to give it a final boost.  The containers will now absorb water from the winter snows, have a superb soil, and be ready to go when spring arrives.  Do it all now, so in the spring all you have to do is plant.

Contributed by Jim Mast