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Tag Archive for: Tomato-tone

VIDEO: How to Plant a Raised Bed Like a Pro with Farmer Nick

May 7, 2025/in Blog, Espoma Videos, Farmer Nick

We’re always excited to see our brand partner Farmer Nick (@farmernick) bringing his garden to life with organic fertilizer — and his latest reel is packed with great tips for every gardener!

In his recent project, Nick repaired his planting trug and got it ready for a fresh season of growth using organic fertilizer.

Here are his top takeaways:

  • ✅ Even if your soil still looks good, always amend it before planting — Nick uses Espoma Organic Garden-tone to recharge the soil and get it ready for seedlings.

  • ✅ Some fresh organic compost like Espoma Organic Land & Sea Gourmet Compost can also help boost the soil’s nutrient content.

  • ✅ Nick recommends mixing in an organic fertilizer like Espoma Organic Garden-tone with rich organic compost like Espoma Organic Land & Sea Gourmet Compost at least once a month during the growing season to keep plants fed and thriving.

  • ✅ Many gardeners forget that plants need regular feeding — consistent fertilizing leads to healthier plants and bigger yields.

  • ✅ Espoma offers specialized “Tone” fertilizers (like Tomato-tone, Rose-tone, and Plant-tone) so you can meet the unique needs of different plants.

Ready to help your garden thrive? Take a page from Nick’s playbook and feed your plants throughout the season!

*****
Featured Products:

Espoma Organic Potting soil Mix Big bagEspoma Organic Land and SeaEspoma Raised Bed Mix bag  Espoma Organic Tomato-toneEspoma Organic Rose-tone bagEspoma Organic Plant-tone organic fertilizer

Where to Buy

https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_4939-copy-2.jpg 1600 1200 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2025-05-07 13:43:472025-05-07 13:43:47VIDEO: How to Plant a Raised Bed Like a Pro with Farmer Nick

VIDEO: Potting herbs in containers + Planting Tomatoes & Peppers with Wyse Guide

August 27, 2024/in Blog, Fruits & Vegetables, Kaleb Wyse

Join Kaleb Wyse from Wyse Guide as he shares his tips for planting herbs in containers. Kaleb also heads into the garden to plant new tomato and pepper plants. He uses Espoma Organic Potting Soil along with Bio-tone Starter Plus and Garden-tone to provide the best soil and nutrients for his plants to thrive. Kaleb relies on Espoma Organic Tomato-tone for his tomatoes, which provides calcium to ensure they grow strong and healthy.

Learn more about Wyse Guide here:

? YouTube: www.youtube.com/@WyseGuide 

? Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WyseGuide/

? Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/WyseGuide/

? Website: https://www.wyseguide.com/

Featured Products:

Espoma Organic Potting Soil bag. Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus bag. Espoma Organic Tomato-tone bag.Espoma Organic Garden-tone bag.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Tomatoes.jpg 720 1280 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2024-08-27 16:13:132025-04-10 10:46:31VIDEO: Potting herbs in containers + Planting Tomatoes & Peppers with Wyse Guide

VIDEO: Planting Tomatoes ?, Peppers ?, and Basil ? with Garden Answer

June 30, 2023/in Blog, Garden Answer

The sun is out and the time is ripe to plant some veggies! Follow along with @gardenanswer as she plants tomatoes, peppers, and basil using Espoma Organic Tomato-tone and Land & Sea Gourmet Compost.

We also recommend planting with Espoma Organic Bio-tone Started Plus to help give your new plants the nutrients they need to grow strong roots in their new environment.

 

Learn more about Garden Answer here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/gardenanswer 

https://www.gardenanswer.com/

https://www.facebook.com/gardenanswer

https://www.instagram.com/gardenanswer/

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We also recommend planting with Espoma Organic Bio-tone Started Plus to help give your new plants the nutrients they need to grow strong roots in their new environment.

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https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/GA-Tomatoes-peppers-basil.jpg 1080 1920 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2023-06-30 14:35:492023-06-30 14:35:49VIDEO: Planting Tomatoes ?, Peppers ?, and Basil ? with Garden Answer

VIDEO: How to Grow Tomatoes ? with Kaleb Wyse! || Wyse Guide

April 14, 2023/in Blog, Fruits & Vegetables, Kaleb Wyse

Do you know the best way to plant tomatoes?

Watch as Kaleb Wyse @WyseGuide takes you out to his garden and shows you the best way he knows how to plant and be successful in growing tomato plants.

Kaleb uses Espoma Organic Tomato-tone to grow healthy tomato plants in his garden.

 

 

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https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/WG-How-to-Plant-Tomatoes-YT-Short-4-14-23.png 533 300 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2023-04-14 16:43:442023-04-14 16:43:44VIDEO: How to Grow Tomatoes ? with Kaleb Wyse! || Wyse Guide

BAGR 89 Blog: Vegetable Gardening for Beginners

April 13, 2023/in Blog, Bloom and Grow Radio, Fruits & Vegetables, Fruits & Vegetables - None

An edible garden can be a wonderful addition to any home. But with all of the information out there on vegetable gardening, it can feel overwhelming to start. This blog is here to help people who are in their first few years of vegetable gardening by covering the need-to-know basics. 

This blog is inspired by Episode 89 of Bloom and Grow Radio Podcast, where host Maria Failla interviewed Toby Adams, the Director of the Edible Academy for the New York Botanical Garden.

 

What Vegetables Should I Grow as a Beginner?

You might be tempted to try growing lots of different vegetables, especially as a beginner. But it’s best to start with just a few varieties and get really good at growing them. From there, you can expand your vegetable garden in the following years, slowly building on your mastery. 

So, where do you start? The simplest way is thinking about what you like to eat! Create a small list of vegetables you purchase regularly at the grocery store or farmer’s market. Then do a little research about the plants themselves and what they require to grow. You may find that some vegetables don’t grow well where you live, or you might be hindered by your growing set up in size, sun, and scale. 

Next, think about your location. If you’re growing in a place like New York City or other Northeastern U.S. locations, you’re likely to have different seasons. Spring and fall are referred to as cool seasons. There are groups of plants that do well in cool weather with some warm days, but colder nights. There are also warm season crops that grow best in summer with no chance of frost. 

If you go back to your wishlist, you can figure out which plants are cool season versus warm season crops, and plan from there. Here are some examples of cool and warm season vegetables: 

Cool season vegetables: lettuce, radish, peas, spinach, carrots, kale, cabbage. 

Warm season vegetables: squash, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, beans, corn, cucumbers. 

What’s a Hardiness Zone? 

If you’re in the U.S., you can find your USDA plant hardiness zone by entering your zip code. This helps you determine which plants are most likely to grow well in your area based on temperature. 

Once you find your hardiness zone, you can also search for the last frost date in your zip code. Your first and last frost dates will show you how many frost-free growing days you have in a season. This can help you figure out which warm and cool season crops will grow best in your area. 

From there, you can even find helpful planting calendars for your area through resources like your local extension office, local or online gardening groups, and the Farmer’s Almanac. 

What Do Vegetables Need to Grow Successfully? 

There are a handful of factors that go into a successful vegetable garden. Below we’ll cover space, sun, water, soil, and fertilizing. 

How Much Space Do My Vegetables Need?

Once you’ve got your list of vegetables, think about other growing factors like space requirements. Some plants require more space, while smaller varieties can be planted in small containers. 

A tomato plant, for example, needs about 18 – 24” to grow successfully. If you’re growing tomatoes in containers, make sure to only plant one tomato per container. 

On the other hand, leafy greens like lettuce and spinach can be planted close together and harvested as baby greens. 

How Much Sun Do I Need for My Vegetable Garden?

The next component of successfully growing vegetables is sun exposure. Most vegetables need a minimum of six hours of direct sunlight, but eight hours is ideal. Think about your garden placement based on how much sun each area receives. 

An easy way to determine how much sun your garden gets is to do a sun analysis. If you have a full day at home, check the area every hour and make note of whether it gets direct sun or not. At the end of the day, add up how many hours of direct sun you get. This will help you determine which plants will thrive in your area.  

Be aware though, if you’re doing your sun analysis in winter and you have trees nearby, those trees will actually have a full canopy of leaves in summer that will cast shade.

An easy way to start is keeping in mind the following: in the Northern hemisphere, gardens that face South will get the most sunlight. Eastern gardens will receive gentle morning sun and Western gardens will receive hotter afternoon sun. Northern gardens will receive the least amount of light and may cause issues for successful growing. 

How Much to Water Vegetables

Water is another key aspect of vegetable gardening. The amount you water will depend on the time of year, the needs of each plant, and the other growing conditions in your garden. A general rule is that plants don’t like to sit in water, but they do need consistent water. 

Deep watering your plants with longer, less frequent periods of watering will encourage robust root systems that grow deep into the soil. During Summer months, this can look like watering 3-4 times a week at 30 minute intervals, depending on your climate. 

What’s the Best Soil for Edible Plants? 

Last, you’ll need a soil medium based on where and how you’re growing. A well-draining soil that contains organic food for your plants, like compost and fertilizer, is a good option. 

If you’re growing in containers, Espoma’s Organic Potting Mix works great for growing vegetables. If you have an outdoor growing space, the Raised Bed Mix or the Vegetable & Flower Garden Soil work well for edible plants. 

Whatever soil you choose, make sure that it has good drainage. Most of your plants’ root systems need oxygen to grow and don’t like to sit in water. 

If you’re growing in an in-ground garden, a soil test is essential to know what nutrients and heavy metals are in your soil. Your local extension office may have soil testing or be able to direct you to companies that do. You can use Espoma Organic Land & Sea Compost to amend your soil. 

Do I Need to Fertilize My Vegetable Garden? 

Plant nutrients are broken up into macro and micronutrients. The main macronutrients you need to know about are the famous NPK: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K).

Starting with high quality soil and compost sets your edible garden up for success. Throughout the growing season, your vegetable garden will use up and absorb many of the macronutrients in your soil, and they will often need to be replaced by using fertilizers.

Use a general fertilizer like Garden-tone or use the plant-specific fertilizer line of “Tones” that Espoma has to offer like Tomato-tone, Berry-tone or Bulb-tone. For a list of Espoma’s wide varieties of “tones,” visit our website.  

The Best Vegetable Gardening Advice

What’s the best advice you can get on starting your edible garden? Just start! Remember to try growing only a few different vegetables, making sure they have the right conditions, and expand from there. We hope this blog inspired you to try growing some of your own vegetables right in your own backyard! 

*****

About Bloom & Grow Radio Podcast

 

Bloom & Grow Radio Podcast helps people care for plants successfully and cultivate more joy in their lives. Host Maria Failla, a former plant killer turned happy plant lady, interviews experts on various aspects of plant care, and encourages listeners to not only care for plants, but learn to care for themselves along the way.

 

About Our Interviewee

 

The NYBG Edible Academy is a state-of-the-art educational facility featuring hands-on activities and innovative programs that help children, families, teachers, and the general public learn about growing and preparing vegetables, fruit, and herbs while encouraging a lifelong interest in gardening, nutrition awareness, and environmental stewardship. Toby Adams has worked at the NYBG for almost 20 years, and has a passion for helping people understand how to grow food.

 

​​Follow the New York Botanical Garden:

Website

Online Courses

Instagram

Facebook

 

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https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Vegetable-Gardening-1.png 1080 1080 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2023-04-13 17:02:332024-09-06 14:18:54BAGR 89 Blog: Vegetable Gardening for Beginners

Video: How to Care for Tomatoes with Epic Gardening

June 7, 2021/in Blog, Fruits & Vegetables, Fruits & Vegetables - None, Gardening, Summer Gardening, Vegetable Gardening

Kevin from @Epic Gardening is walking us through how he plans to maintain those tomatoes he recently planted with the help of Espoma. Follow along to hear his top tips!

 

See our guide to growing tomatoes here

Featured:

Where to Buy
https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/EG-feature-image.jpeg 360 480 Danielle Kirschner https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Danielle Kirschner2021-06-07 13:14:372022-04-12 08:15:48Video: How to Care for Tomatoes with Epic Gardening

Video: Choosing a Trellis for Tomatoes with Epic Gardening

June 2, 2021/in Blog, Espoma Videos, Fruits & Vegetables, Fruits & Vegetables - None, Gardening, Vegetable Gardening

Looking to grow some deliciously plump tomatoes this season? Let Kevin from @Epic Gardening show you the different trellis types that will work best for your space and budget.

See our guide to growing tomatoes here

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https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/epic-thumbnail-1.jpeg 480 640 Danielle Kirschner https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Danielle Kirschner2021-06-02 11:19:432022-04-12 08:16:48Video: Choosing a Trellis for Tomatoes with Epic Gardening

Video: Tying up & Fertilizing Tomatoes with Bloom and Grow Radio!

August 4, 2020/in Bloom and Grow Radio, Espoma Videos, Fruits & Vegetables, Vegetable Gardening

Are your tomato plants growing out of control? Time to tie them up with Bloom and Grow Radio‘s Tying and Fertilizing Tomatoes video featuring Tomato-tone!

See our guide to growing tomatoes here

Featured Products:

Espoma Organic Tomato-tone
https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Screen-Shot-2020-08-04-at-2.39.27-PM.png 910 1766 Danielle Kirschner https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Danielle Kirschner2020-08-04 14:44:422024-09-03 15:26:04Video: Tying up & Fertilizing Tomatoes with Bloom and Grow Radio!

Fresh off the Vine – Harvesting Tomatoes and Recipes

August 31, 2017/in Summer Gardening

Harvest is upon us! Those big juicy tomatoes are taunting you on the vine, waiting for you to enjoy!

Garden tomatoes are jam packed with flavor compared to grocery store tomatoes. Make sure to pick them when they are just right to enjoy with your favorite tomato recipes. These harvesting tips will ensure you get a flavorful tomato every time.

Harvesting

Harvesting tomatoes isn’t complicated; it’s just all about timing!

Leave your tomatoes on the vine as long as possible. Wait until your tomatoes have completely changed color. If it is red (or yellow) on one side and green on the other, your tomato isn’t ready yet. It needs to have an even color all around it. If your tomatoes have started changing color and are starting to crack, bring them inside and place them in a paper bag to finish ripening.

Trust your gut. If you think the tomato is ready for harvest, pick it! You can also do the squeeze test. Gently squeeze your tomatoes,  tomatoes ready for harvest will be firm, but not too hard.

Recipes

After you’ve harvested your tomatoes, try one of our favorite recipes!

  1. Tomato Salad with Edamame Succotash: This Midwest delight has a variety of vegetables you can find in the garden. Make this nutritious meal and pair it with some delicious bread!
  2. Tomato-Phyllo Tart: Take your tomatoes to another level when making this delicious recipe. Use your own garden fresh herbs to keep it close to home.
  3. Eggs in Purgatory: This one may sound a little dark, but take it from us, it is delicious! It does say cherry tomatoes, but any tomatoes will do.
  4. Corn Soup with Tomato Bacon Toast: Try a twist on the classic grilled cheese and tomato soup with this recipe.
  5. Cheesy Stuff Tomatoes: Whip up some stuffed tomatoes in a jiff. This simple, yet yummy, recipe is perfect for a late night meal.

If you want more delicious tomato recipes, check out our Top Tomato Recipes! And be sure to download our Tomato Guide to answer all of your tomato growing questions.

https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Super-Sweet-100.jpg 1280 854 espoma https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png espoma2017-08-31 14:10:012022-04-12 08:55:56Fresh off the Vine – Harvesting Tomatoes and Recipes

5 Ways to Give Your Summer Garden a Boost

July 13, 2017/in Summer Gardening

There’s no better way to enjoy your garden than by encouraging it to grow bigger and better. Before your summer veggies and flowers peak, take your garden to the next-level by refueling it.

Knock-out these 5 essential tasks and your garden will thank you. You’ll extend your summer season and ensure that your lawn and garden are in tip-top shape.

 

5 Ways to Give Your Summer Garden a Boost

1. Hydrate. When it’s hot, dry and muggy, the best thing is a nice cold drink. Your plants need some H2O, too. The trick to keeping your garden hydrated during the hottest days is not to water more. It’s to water smarter. Water plants deeply in the morning so they have the entire day to soak it up.

Image courtesy of Garden Answer

2. Keep plants fed. Your summer veggies and flowers are hungry. Feed hanging baskets, container gardens and annuals with liquid Bloom! plant food every 2 to 4 weeks. Vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers are heavy feeders. Continue to feed every 2 weeks with organic fertilizers Tomato-tone or Garden-tone.

3. Prune and deadhead. Extend the life of perennials by deadheading flowers as soon as they are spent. This will encourage plants to keep blooming as long as weather permits. Your roses will thank you. Prune tomato suckers and shrubs now, for fuller plants later.

4. Mow lawns strategically. When mowing, keep the mower blades high (3” or higher) to encourage healthy roots. Cut grass in the evening to give it time to recover and keep yourself cool.

5. Plant more! There are many quickly maturing plants that will thrive in summer gardens and be ready for harvest in the fall. Try planting radishes, cucumbers, beans and more.

Sit back and relax! Take a good look at your hard work and dream about the rewards and bountiful harvests you’ll enjoy in the months to come.

If you’re looking to get a better tomato harvest this summer, be sure to check out our complete tomato guide!

*****

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Tag Archive for: Tomato-tone

Tomato-tone

July 13, 2023/in Espoma Organic Fertilizers Tomato Guide
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