David, The book says to add compost to each square as you harvest the square. If you do it a little at a time, then it's not such a big deal when you're closing the garden for the winter.

As for soil testing, I hadn't even considered it. I put together my mel's mix and planted in it. If plants weren't thriving in it, I'd definitely consider a soil test, though.

David you are certainly doing the right thing with a soil test. But keep in mind this is NOT Mel's mix it really is Your Mix, why blame it on Mel?

Adding Compost is not as slow a fix as you think. All the nutrients the plant needs are readily available in compost, that makes it a pretty quick fix. You should also consider compost tea drench and/or using compost tea as foliar spray for other quick fixes.

BER is caused by the plant not taking up sufficient amounts of calcium. That means there could be plenty of calcium in the soil but not getting taken up by the plants for some reason; which can be caused by water - too much or too little.

Water moves the calcium thru the soil, so yea it is a balancing act. Foliar sprays of compost tea may be your quickest fix, until you figure out what else is going on.

Don't forget about your compost being the sole source of your problem, but the soil test will hopefully lend more input to that.

HTH,
Gumby_CT

Gumby is right. BER is due to insufficient calcium. Try sprinkling some pickling lime that you can buy at most grocery stores around the base of your tomato plants. Do not over do this treatment. This type of line is hydrated and will quickly be absorbed by the plant.

gumby & Wildcat

I agree too. I thought it was going to be a pH probelm, but I check pH and it's right at 7, so maybe a tad high, but the main problem is either water or calcium. I'd lean towards calcium as the plants are quite healthy otherwise.

How much pickling lime per plant/square? Would it help to pre-dissolve the lime in water? The Tomatoes are about 5 feet, 3 stem at this stage.

Thank you both for your inputs,
Here's hoping for better toms ...

David

I have not precisely measured the amount of pickling lime I have put around each plant but I use about 1/2-3/4 cup sprinkled around the base of each plant. I have never mixed the lime with water, but it might be a good idea. I have just watered it in. Each time I have used this method the BER went away in about 1-2 weeks. Another thing I do in my garden is to add a handful of pelletize lime (along with two handful of compost and a handful of a complete organic fertilizer) each time I re-plant a square. I have not had BER since I started doing this. (This could be the kiss of death.) Hope this helps.

Keep in mind that composts made in your region will reflect the local soil deficiencies, if any. For example, Pacific Northwest soils are highly leached from heavy winter and spring rains. Notably, Calcium and Magnesium is quite deficient. Plants grown on these soils have similar deficiencies without amendment. These deficiencies lead to less healthy plants and less healthy animals that feed upon them. Composts made from plants in this region will be as mineral deficient as the soil they were grown in. That is why I add various limes to my veg garden.