I’m 21 years old and just purchased a condo with my boyfriend. With the warmer weather approaching I would really like to get a few tomato plants outside on our porch. A previous question I asked led me to decide against a hanging tomato basket, but I’m still going to do one just to expariment. I’ll probably do two plants in pots on the porch (very sunny) and one hanging (also very sunny in the spot where the hanging hooks are)
An answer to my previous question said that I should use Miracle Grow (I forgot what kind specifically) on the plants. But would that be Ungreen ? Do plant foods like Miracle Grow harm the earth? And even more important, one of the reasons I want to plant my own is so that I know exactly what goes on them (organic)…
Are there any more natural ways that I can fertalize my plant (asside from any type of animal poop. I just wont use it)…
Also, if I purchase a tomato plant pre-grown (like when its an itty bitty baby) rather than growing it from seeds, should I assume that its already been touched by pesticides? I’m planning on buying before it grows tomatos.
Comments
water, sunlight and a little love
your use of Miracle Grow to get tomatoes is not going to harm the Earth…. it might help you get tomatoes, tho….
no animal poop?… why?.. that’s as ‘green’ as it comes!
there’s compost….oh, wait… the bagged kind might have poop in it… and yes, the plants you buy came from a greenhouse and they were fertilized and sprayed for bugs…. unless they state otherwise….
If you’re doing tomatoes in a pot on the porch, I wouldn’t sweat the Miracle Grow. You’re probably going to be using a potting type soil that doesn’t have much by way of nutrition in it, so your plant needs to get its food from somewhere.
If, on the other hand, you were planting in the ground, or in a container with a natural top soil/garden soil blend that had something vaguely resembling a soil ecology going, I’d advise using compost or fish emulsion, or even used coffee grounds.
Miracle grow is a synthetic fertiliser. This means it does nothing for the soil that the plant is growing in. It feeds the plant with fertilisers made from petro chemicals. (Not something I want on my food.) but slowly kills the soil.
Organic basically means anything that is alive or has lived. You will find it very hard to be an organic gardener and not use manure. There is no problem in using manure from a herbivore. (Far more problems arise from using manure from a meat eater but it is still possible.) Most of the time manure is aged before use and there is no smell and no other way of telling it is or was…well…Poop! The whole point of organic gardening is to re-use this organic matter to create new life. A cycle of regeneration that nature has perfected over millions of years.
Here is an extract from an article about the affects of synthetic chemicals….
Artificial fertilisers are energy intensive to produce. They can poison
worms and soil life. This means that the soil loses biological activity
and is less able to support plant growth, which in turn forces the farmer to use more fertiliser to maintain good yields. Soil subject to artificial fertiliser is prone to drying out and becoming waterlogged in rain. The use of fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides is closely linked: lush plant growth is attractive to pests such as aphids requiring pesticides; . Fertilisers also encourage the growth of weeds requiring the use of herbicides. Artificial fertilisers also pollute drinking water with nitrates. The annual cost (1996 - 1997) of measures to control and abate the nitrate pollution of drinking water in England and Wales is estimated to be over £24 million per year.
I am biased on this subject as I am and have been an organic gardener for many years but I hope I have presented you with facts that will help you decide for yourself.
Use Miracle Grow potting soil and water well alll sesason.
You can’t guarantee a plant is organic unless you buy seeds that are certified as organic. I use Miracle-Gro for Tomatoes for tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant, but there are chemicals in it, just like any other fertilizer. Not all chemicals are bad for the earth, though–even water is technically a chemical. Especially check fertilizers for nitrates–those are the chemicals that are more harmful.
Some people swear by Miracle Grow. The first year I planted tomatoes I used that stuff and got a bumper crop.
The fertilizers in that soil last for about three months, so long enough to last through a complete growth cycle of most vegetables. After that you can ammend the soil more organically.
I use homemade compost now. Except for the occassional stray tomato that pops up, I prefer more organic means.
