FAQ

1716
DR. EARTH® GARDENING GUIDE
ORGANIC VEGETABLES
STEP 1
PLANT
SOIL MIX
One bag of soil mix will amend
approximately 35-50 square feet of
garden for healthy plants. One 1.5 cu
ft bag lls up 3 ve gallon containers.
3 EASY STEPS FOR A HEALTHY HARVEST
STEP 2
PROVIDE
FERTILIZE
Feed your vegetables at time of
planting and every 6 weeks, nourishing
them so they can better nourish you
with delicious “homegrown health.”
STEP 3
PROTECT
SAFEGUARD
Bring ALL of your abundant harvest to
the table in a wholesome & appetizing
state. Our super-safe spray easily controls
pests and diseases.
How to Grow:
Plant in full sun. Amend the soil well with a good compost
or planting mix. They prefer a pH of 6. Tomatoes grow and
produce best outdoors. They can also grow in containers
(minimum 15 gallons of potting soil) but not to their full
potential. More soil volume is best. Start from seed indoors
6 weeks before the last frost, or buy transplants from a
local nursery. Plant seedlings or transplants in space at
least 2 feet square. Keep the fruit from drooping onto the
ground by growing the upright varieties against canes or
wire cages. Pinch out the tops after they make 3-4 groups
of fruits. For bush varieties, cover the soil underneath
the plants (using bark or similar) so fruits develop off the
ground. They are heavy feeders and can take copious
amounts of fertilizer. Keep plants moist but not sopping
wet to avoid fungal diseases.
Insect Control:
Tomatoes are susceptible to tomato hornworm. Spray
foliage with Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) for natural control.
You can also remove worms by hand early in the morning.
Worms are usually on top of the foliage and are easy to
remove and discard. As a general measure, you can spray
with a botanical insecticide-fungicide for natural control of
most insect pests and diseases, such as early blight, gray
leaf spot, late blight, Septoria leaf spot, southern blight and
verticillium wilt.
Tips:
Pick or buy tomatoes fully ripe, the redder the better. Ripe
tomatoes may have four times more beta-carotene than
green, immature ones. This makes backyard tomatoes the
best. You know they were not picked green and shipped to
ripen weeks later.
Human Health
A great supporter of overall health. Tomatoes have a lot
of vitamins C and A, plus beta-carotene and the pigment
lycopene, all super antioxidants that help prevent
cell damage by free radical oxygen molecules. These
phytonutrients work in synergy with other vitamins and
minerals in tomatoes to promote heart and bone health
and protect against inflammation and a number of cancers.
Regularly eating tomatoes can lower cholesterol levels,
promote proper fetal development and regulate blood sugar.
How To Grow A Great Tomato
TIPS, HEALTH
& ALL AROUND
INFORMATION
ADVANCED KNOWLEDGE
GROWING TOMATOES