There are standard organic alternatives available for whatever you were advised to add. Most labs will give you those equivalent alternatives if requested. But no "Comfrey/Nettle/Dandelion tea along with some banana peels" are not on the list as effective supplements.

Otherwise if you will post what the recommendations were someone can convert them for you. The regulars over on both the Organic Gardening forum and on the Soil Forum here do it all the time.

Dave

PS: and what % of organic matter did they give you?

Yes - do post the percentages. I have had to correct the nutrient deficient soil in my gardens over the past few years and have finally achieved success.

Depending on your soil type, people can tell you what you can go buy now that will help your soil be the best it can be this season but optimal soil is a slow process. Banana peels and comfrey tea is probably not going to help much though.

Problem is that I'm from Serbia - organic gardening here is still what could be called more of an enthusiasts thing. Pretty much all advice I got is to use manure (which I'd like to avoid if possible) and compost. So far gardenweb has proven to be a much more reliable source of info (been reading for awhile now, had my 1st post just recently).

Organic matter level is low (2,58% humus).
Recommendations were:

- 10 ton of manure for 10 are (around 1200 sq yards)
- 35 kg N before transplanting, followed by 70 kg for feeding after.
- 62 kg of triple superphosphate. After transplantation, 0,05% liquid fertilizer (10:52:10) as well as 7 days later. Next phase is 0,1% weekly of 20:20:20, then afterwards continue with 16:8:28 or similar.
- 60 kg of K20 (via KCl) along with foliar potash fertilizer.

Hope this makes sense. The plot total surface is 10 ares, but i will be planting on 1 are for starters.
Thanks

Why avoid manure? It is very important to the organic toolbox. Manure (composted), compost and wood ash would probably be all you need to get your soil productive.

Agree. Why avoid manure? Aged/composted manures and vegetative compost are the basic platforms of organic gardening and clearly your soil needs LOTS of organic matter added. Are you actively composting?

Meanwhile what other organic supplements would you have available to you to choose from? Things like alfalfa meal or pellets, blood meal, bone meal, barley or soybean meal, cottonseed meal, etc. can all be used as supplements. Access to seaweed or kelp in any form? Annual rye grass cover crop when tilled in gives you all your N and then some. Wood ash as Capo mentioned takes care of much of it. Standard recommendation is 1 lb. per 100 sq.'.

Dave

I'd have to pay a visit to the specialized shop to see what they've got. I know they have bone meal for sure. I've got grass too. As for wood ash, does it change the pH in soil? I'm composting in my other garden, haven't started the pile in the one we are talking about.

agree... aged animal manure is great for plants. you just don't want fresh manure because it will burn your plants.
you can layer some aged manure and/or compost across your entire tomato garden and have great success. the nutrients will leech into the ground and feed your tomatoes all season. (and tomatoes aren't adversely effected by being partially buried, in fact they like it).
On the other hand, tomatoes are very hardy and will grow in most environments. I'm sure with just some minimal fertilizing you will still have success.

Wood ash can change soil pH - makes it more alkaline - if you use it indiscriminately but then so can most things. And the change is a transient one. The ratio I mentioned above is usually considered a safe one to use unless your soil is already high on the alkaline side of the scale.

Rather than specialty shops, in the US you will find most of what you need in what are called farm and/or feed stores. Stores that sell 50 lb. bags or bulk quantity supplies to farmers. Many of the ingredients are things used in animal feeds or for farm crops. I don't know what would be the equivalent store/supplier in Serbia?

We can also sometimes find such supplies from local processing plants for things like coffee beans, wheat and cereal grains, and similar foods. Have anything similar to that available?

For example I read that Serbia's chief crops are wheat, corn, hemp, sugar beets, and flax and that it has extensive vineyards. If that is accurate then any processing that is done on any of those crops always results in fantastic soil improving waste by-products but I don't know if they would be available to you?

Just some ideas to consider.

Dave

Thank you all for the advice. As for shops - we also have farm stores (called agricultural apothecaries), but supply of organic fertilizers and supplies is usually quite poor. I will stop by one on Monday and see what they've got.
I know a guy who owns a winery but i don't think i could get anything from him at the moment.
How about those bags of humus/soil you can get at shops? We've got quite to choose from, I've been using Scotts SUBSTRAL Terra Magma Blumenerde Lavagranulat for my pot plants (peppers did nicely in it last season). Would it do any good if i planted tomatoes in a wider hole and tucked them in with that?

One of the goals of organic is to try to use as few outside inputs as possible.

Yes, wood ash will raise your pH, don't overdo it. You have a pretty good starting pH though, and tomatoes don't mind a slightly higher pH. Compost in general can also raise it as well, but as long as you stay near 7, you'll be fine. The purpose of the wood ash is to supply minerals such as potassium, phosphoruous, magnesium, calcium and trace minerals.

I bought some slow release organic fertilizer at the shop with the NPK ratio of 5-3-2. It doesn't say what it's composed of, but it has a strong smell of aquarium and fish food. Will it do the trick?

I've also found some nice bagged soil/compost with very high organic content, but it's 8 pH, so wasn't sure if I should use it or not. Any thoughts?

Likely it's a fish emulsion fertilizer. Should be ok. It's normal for compost to be pH 8. Your starting pH is pretty good and has a bit of room to raise for tomatoes. Mix some in and check it, but should be good.

TYVM all, your posts have been most helpful :)
Cheers

I think you're going to have a really hard time adding enough organic matter if you expect to buy everything it tiny little bags from garden stores.
Need to find bags of leaves, straw bales, manure, alfalfa pellets, seed meals. Can you not find an agriculture district, dairy, poultry farm? Or, even a park where they rake the leaves up in the fall?

I got those bags for the ones that are already in the ground and for several more seedlings. Then after harvest in autumn, i will add grass, leaves and manure.

Can you also grow some winter cover crop, perhaps rye or favas? That will give you lots of organic matter that you don't have to buy or carry in.

Yeah, I can get rye. Favas is broad beans, right?