You didn't mention how many plants were in each bed. I have made the mistake of overcrowding (in addition to myriad others!). Next year, if I were you, I would make sure to test the soil for pH and nutrients. That will provide a baseline as to what amendments your soil needs. This year, I used a topsoil, peat, and compost mixture in my beds. I used Garden-tone when I planted my veggies, and mulched the beds (not too close to the plants, though). It has worked pretty well. You didn't mention what sort of problems you have had with your toms. Was disease an issue? Fruit set? I'd like more info.

Hey Trish, great name! (my name too.haha)

hi all, thanks for your response. I had 8 plants and my bed is 4ft. wide and 8ft. long. I did try testing the soil and ha ha, even not sure about that. I bought a soil tester at lowes and it is kind of iffy. but....will try that again. but for the most part it was low in everything although not the lowest. The acidity level was too high. Like I said you have a color chart to go by with the tester so I am really not certain about the results. Now as far as the color of the plant...they looked healthy at first and up until they bloomed and even to early fruit. but seemed to go downhill after that. I got some tomatoes and enjoyed them but they really didnt look healthy. They were split, some had rot on the bottom, alot of blooms fell off. we did have alot of rain here in Oklahoma this year but a friend of mine in muskogee had beautiful plants with the same amount of rain. I did spray with seven dust a couple of times after the plants were growing strong. the plants had more of long stems instead of thick stalks. Do you think I could have had too much cow manure with the soil. It seems half and half would be just too much from what I have read. I am planning to take half the soil out of the bed and put more gardening soil in to cut the ratio of cow manure. any thoughts on this? what do you think about miracle grow gardening soil with fertilizer? also, my plants have pretty much stopped producing now and drying up. there again...my friends are in full force beautiful plants, with tons of tomatoes, she had 3 plants and I had 8. she probably had 4 or 5 times more tomatoes. she said they planted the tomatoes and put some fertilizer around them and mulched. thanks again all, if I can get this right I will be sure to send pics of these next year, lol.

I've read that cow manure is good to modify the texture and tilth of soil and promotes earthworms and other beneficial organisms. However, as a fertilizer, it can be lacking depending on what type of manure it is...rotted manure is safer to use in a garden, but lower in nitrogen. All of the ratios that I saw were lbs. to square footage, but a 1:1 ratio DOES seem high. As for the Miracle-Gro gardenening soil...I've never used it. I've tried their built-in fertilizer potting soil before, but, frankly, I couldn't really tell the difference. I still had to fertilize. My advice would be "save your money," that stuff is expensive. Growing, blooming, and fruiting requires a lot of energy from a plant. Perhaps they needed more fertilizer in the beginning. I used Garden-tone as per bag directions around my single plants in the beginning this year, and I could really tell the difference. I fertilized once more, but now I'm slackening off. From what I've read, 80% of plant problems can be attributed to soil quality. I've gotten good advice from my local gardening center (not a chain, a specialty shop). Some of the issues you mention (BER and cracking) can be attributed to uneven/irregular moisture levels. This can be combated by mulching around the plants and a consistent watering schedule. I have noticed a big difference since I started mulching around my tomatoes. Less BER and less soil-borne disease. I too have raised beds (4' wide x 5' long) and had a few BER tomatoes earlier. I only have 2 tomato plants per bed, and those are barely fitting. Mine are both indeterminate, so they take up a lot of room. Not sure what kind you're growing, but 8 plants seems a little crowded, if they are indeterminate. I've learned in my (albeit limited) experience that healthy tomatoes always seem to take up more room than is stated on those plant tags. They're a bit like children :) I hope I've been of some help.

thank you so much for your help.....I am going to check out garden-tone on the net. I am going to use miracle gro tomato fertilizer next year also, I used a little this year but think I should have used more. thanks again for your help and any and all advice will be welcome here.

Trish although you did a soil test I would suggest having one done by a professional, usually your local extension service can accommodate one. Let them know what you are growing, in your case tomatoes and they will let you know the condition of your soil and provide recommendations for how it should be improved.

Trish - Seriously, have a soil sample professionally tested. It will tell you a lot more than any home test can, especially about micro-nutrients. I had a friend who couldn't row vegies well and (finally after a professional test) discovered massive amounts of "whatever it is" that builds up if someone dumps all their charcoal ashes in a spot.

I used to add aged horse manure to my compost, but I lost access to it (they moved away) and some manure is great to add to a compost pile. But adding too much to soon can be a problem. Roots needs broken down nutrients, not manure itself. It takes longer than some realize to make manure usable to plants. In the process of decomposition, manure can create extreme imbalances in the local nutrient supply to plant roots.

I stick to almost entirely vegatative compost these days. Compost dumped into a trashcan filled with rainwater makes a very good source of water, as does water from a pond. (I water my tomatoes with pond water).

I also foliar spray my tomatoes (and other plants) with seaweed water. The plants really seem to love that and it doesn't add too much water to the plants (but lots of nutrients).

thanks all! I can't wait till next spring to try this again. appreciate your help