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On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

Are any of you thinking organically as you plan your garden for this year? I think a lot of pumpkin growers are doing more using organic materials. I believe the world record tomato last year was grown as naturally as possible. I will be switching over from chemical fertilizers to organic materials whilst trying to build and improve my soil. Also I will be doing this while at the same time trying to balance my soil pretty much following the directions of Steve Solomon as best I can. By the way, Steve now lives in Australia. He started and sold the Territorial Seed Company and wrote a book, "The Intelligent Gardener" which I recommend as a great read this winter for serious gardeners.

1/17/2019 11:45:28 AM

Lebanon, Oregon

Thanks Marv. I try to grow "organically" as possible and will continue to do so. I really hope you can have a successful upcoming season. It's way past due.

1/17/2019 7:23:00 PM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

Rebel, send me your soil test results and I will send you my prescription for your soil so as to balance it using organic materials. Also I will need to know how many square feet you plan on using. lubadub@aol.com

1/17/2019 9:12:52 PM

Lebanon, Oregon

Thanks Marv! I will have my soil tested this Spring.

1/17/2019 11:42:09 PM

Hot West Tennessee

I have been for three years now.

1/21/2019 11:18:00 PM

Grittyville, WA

I was not impressed with my results where the main input was a bag of 20-20-20 chemical fertilizer. Tomatoes would prefer natural fertilizers for the basic nutrients... Also...is wood ash is superior to lime? If you find any info about ash vs lime from the gurus please forward. I would be totally interested. I suspect Solomon has not done much with wood ash. Solomon communicates well and he is smart for sure.

1/22/2019 5:04:21 PM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

Wood ash is going to give you mostly potassium. If you use it I am uncertain that you would know exactly how much potassium you are putting on. If you want to add potassium to your soil I would suggest using potassium sulfate. It is even organic.

1/22/2019 5:49:51 PM

Grittyville, WA

Its mostly calcium. But its heavily balanced by potassium. A little phosphorous too I am not sure if it has magnesium but it has no sulfate or nitrogen. I think it might have silica, which is why it could be undervalued.

1/22/2019 7:33:26 PM

Grittyville, WA

I am not of the mindset that being exact is a one-way ticket that guarantees great results... if your weather is not exact your mineral uptake will not be exact either... natural systems should be consciously designed to be forgiving and expected to perform well even when not exact. Its chemical systems that should bear the burden of needing to be exact. Thats a philosophy I read somewhere not my own but it sounds true to organic/ sustainable philosophy. There is a lot of real world value in a system that performs well no matter what vs a system that performs well only at very specific tolerances. Anyhow, consider both sides of the 'exactness' pancake lol. Organic is like having a thick iron pan not thin copper one. It is better because it is more forgiving... less likely to burn your breakfast (aka your plants). Consider what works even when things are not exact... This is the other half of the pancake. If you get both sides right you'll surely eat good.

1/22/2019 8:13:22 PM

Grittyville, WA

Whats your goal Marv? Did you hold a previous world record?

1/22/2019 8:29:05 PM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

My goal at this time in my life is to live and let live. My next goal is to grow a big tomato. After that, on this thread, it is to share what I am doing to try to get there with the hope that it might stimulate others who have the same goal regarding tomatoes. Was your post meant to be insulting? If you look at wood ash from the standpoint of NPK only it is 0-1-3. If you are looking at it overall here is a good site https://extension.umaine.edu/publications/2279e/

1/23/2019 8:57:58 AM

Grittyville, WA

No not insulting anyone I dont care if someone has grown a wr or is just a beginner. It doesnt matter to me...! I know thats probably hard to believe but really honestly not important to me. I was curious... but not curious enough to look up your stats. It doesnt matter to me at all.

1/23/2019 10:13:40 AM

Grittyville, WA

I think you have big ones. I thought from your questions you might be serious about a beat-Dan effort for a wr so I wanted to ask if you were trying to get your title back. Just a dumb question.

1/23/2019 10:27:46 AM

Grittyville, WA

* grown big ones. Its not my day today.

1/23/2019 10:29:29 AM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

Glen. I am just trying to do better. I try to do better every year, weather permitting. Weather is a factor we really don't have control over unless we are growing inside a large structure where we have more control but not complete control.

1/23/2019 12:50:44 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

If you don't have your best year ever Marv, I will surprised. I am thinking your soil is going to be better than it has ever been before. Fingers crossed that your weather holds good. My next year grow is still in the question. Whether it is next year or the year after when I grow again, I will be probably about 85% organic. I am a believer in organic for nutrients but will not hesitate to use pesticides and fungicides. I think organic is preferable for soil. My experiment using organic nutrients in hydro is growing slower than the salts. I think in hydro, just don't have the biological activity to make organic difference. Organic nutrients + microbiology in soil, I think is the ticket to get really big.

1/23/2019 7:09:30 PM

Buffalo, MN (Billsbigpumpkins@hotmail.com)

Marv, whether or not you achieve your goal of growing a big giant tomato I know one thing that is for sure. You have help many growers over the years by sharing your information via this site or thru your book.

1/23/2019 10:01:08 PM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

Thanks Bill. I appreciate that. There have been times when I actually thought about no longer posting here, times when I was receiving a lot of criticism for one reason or another. Despite that, I have remained. I think there are quite a few growers here who honestly appreciate hearing things about growing big even when they don't necessarily agree with what they are hearing. Patrick White, a talented grower from Alaska, left BP due to unappreciated criticism as did Dan Sutherland, present world record giant tomato holder. There were others before them who left us. None of them really lost anything by leaving. The rest of us did. I wish they would return. I would like to hear what they had to say. It is a shame they left. But, it is what it is. All of us have seen similar occurrences on other sites. Hang in there guys. Keep being nice. Don't get personal. Appreciate opinions other than your own. Grow big!

1/24/2019 8:48:15 AM

Johnston, Iowa

Marv, I'll echo what Bill said. I greatly appreciate your advice both on this website and in your book. You're right - when talented growers leave this site (or don't participate) its OUR loss. Good luck this year!

1/24/2019 9:46:29 AM