I use Foilage Pro + Pro TeKt which = 9-3-9. I dilute it to 1/4 strength and use that for watering just about everytime. My experience is that tomatoes in containers like a low and steady dose of fertilizer. As a general rule of thumb I like to water/fertilize at 1/4-1/5 strength. If you dont want to constantly have a diluted solution around for feeding then once at full strength every 1-2 weeks depending on the heaviness of your fertilizer.

Damon

Is the 9-3-9 ideal? I thought, in general, you wanted a higher P and K to encourage blooming, with less emphasis on the N, which would make for a bushy, leafy plant with not a lot of fruit? (Or so said the "expert" at the nursery, but he was also the one who told me that it was highly unlikely that I had psyllids too, so I've taken that with a grain of salt... hmmph.)

9-3-9? I have 10-10-10 on hand and use it on the ones in the ground. Will that work okay on the schedule you suggested?

9-3-9 is ideal but whats most important is the ratio which is 3-1-3. So you could have something thats 24-8-24 which is also a ratio of 3-1-3. You need to check out the container forum here, there is a wealth of knowledge over there and alot more on the 3-1-3 ratio and chemical fertilizers. The experts over there are A1 and justaguy.

Damon

Actually a ratio of 3-1-2 is ideal. NOT 3-1-3.

Here's my own recipe for a potting mix I like to start my containers off with, then I water with compost tea most of the summer, there's a minimum of chemical fertilizer this way but the results have been outstanding for me in zone 5a.

60% sterile potting soil
15% perlite
10% washed building sand
5% worm castings
5% Miracle gro for tomatoes

instead of compost tea you can mix the miracle grow with water and begin using it after plants are established for about a month.

Here is a link that might be useful: Miracle Gro tomatoes

Hi larryj,
? %5 fertilizer by weight or cubic volume; or as 5% of a solution?

Sorry I do them by volume, and mix thoroughly.