Slow Grow Tomato

I have a Big Beef tomato (http://bonnieplants.com/product/big-beef-tomato/) that I planted on Memorial Day (May 25) and it just isn't thriving.

The ground it's in is... well, frankly crappy (very sandy soil that was previously home to a remarkable abundance of weeds). So before I planting, I dug in compost, manure, and some garden soil to soften things up a bit and give it some nutrients. It's possible given the state of the ground that I just didn't do ENOUGH with that particular patch, but it's a little too late now.

I've tried watering with a mild, nitrogen-rich fertilizer (5-1-1), and lightly digging in some bonemeal around the soil to give this little guy an excuse to grow a strong root system, but his progress just isn't very exciting (at least not compared to the tomato I container-planted for my balcony which is the exact same species, was the same size, and was planted on the same day). I've attached two pictures - one was taken on 6/11/15, the other was taken this afternoon 6/18/15.

The tomato HAS tried to bud, but I nipped those off to encourage better plant growth. It's just... not a very supple plant, and doesn't seem like it could be doing as well as it could/should.

Granted, the tomato in the ground is far more exposed to the elements than my little balcony plant - it's been hit with some pretty heavy rain (and hail before I managed to throw a hard hat over it), wind, unusually cool weather, and - at times - relentless sun (sometimes all on the same day). Maybe I should just thank my lucky stars that it's still alive and let it do it's thing, but that... lacks ambition. I would prefer if it thrived.

I guess my question is... does this plant LOOK healthy? Am I too concerned about it? And how can I make it more comfortable?

the plant itself actually looks pretty darn flawless to me, i say keep on pampering it, although i would snip off those leaves that are lying flat on the ground, thats just asking to get a soil borne disease on its leaves.

For whom? You, or the plant?

That plant has been in the ground exactly 23 days...

It takes time to adjust, depending on how much transplant shock it has experienced. And, with all the natural challenges it has already experienced, I'm thinking it has weathered the storms nicely (literally), and looks just fine.

I'd do like jmc1987 suggests and trim off any leaves touching, or too close to, the soil. Splash up from watering and rain...soil borne diseases...just waiting to happen...

Patience...

Please post progress pics...alliteration...intended, LOL!

Hugs!

Thank you so much for your advice!

I will definitely pull those leaves off the bottom to keep the plant healthy. Mud backsplash is DEFINITELY a problem with this particular blend of soil.

In response to your question, Gymgirl - both! This is my first year ever growing anything outdoors (I'm generally an apartment window-sill kinda girl) but I've taken a stab at corn, peppers, tomatoes, a variety of squash, and a pair of little strawberry plants on the opposite end of that bed (which, again compared to the one on my balcony, look pretty ragged). I have been accused of being ambitious once or twice when I start to explain the scope of things, and I really don't want my little plot to fail...

I will happily keep you updated with pics - I love to photo document progress. :)

Thanks again for the advice!

LOL!

Well, we'll all do what we can to keep your little plot from failing!

Hugs!

one other thing to do to help with that soil back splash is to mulch, what i do personally is take the leaves / grass that has been sucked into the vacuum bag of our mower and use that as mulch, and as that breaks down it will improve your soil also. Although dont use whole leaves as they can glue together and restrict water from even making it to the soil, thus why i get them out of the mower bags, pre-shredded

I would feed it something with less N and more phosphorus. Tomatoes just don't need that much N. I think it will be happier when the temps aren't cool, but it really looks pretty good.

Ditto:
Mulch.

Will decompose over time to improve the soil.
Stops soil splashing onto the leaves.
Moderates the temperature in the soil. Can warm it a bit in cold weather, keep it a bit cooler in hot weather.
Holds moisture in the soil, so you do not need to water as often.
Improves the soil chemistry so beneficial oragnisms will thrive.

I will DEFINITELY do some mulching. I may also test and incrementally lower the ph of the soil in that bed - it's mostly Nunn's cruddy sandy loam (which I am told is generally pretty alkaline) so that may improve things for ALL of my vegetables.

I don't have a lawn or any grass clippings, but fortunately, this little garden is at the office (my boss is awesome and let me plant veggies in the office garden bed) and my co-workers have lawns I can exploit. Communal gardening at it's best.

I just wanted to post these pictures here for comparison's sake - to give y'all an idea of why I'm worried about this tomato at all. I've mentioned the tomato on my balcony - so here they are side by side.

Several ideas come to mind:

Poor soil.
Mulch, compost, fertilizer. I would not be worried about adding some nitrogen to such a small, young plant. It needs to grow some before it can be expected to support some flowers and fruit.

Temperature difference. Perhaps the black pot on the balcony warmed earlier? The balcony is higher up, so cold air drained away, the plant in the ground might be in a low spot that stayed colder, longer.

I always use a fertilizer with a high middle number Phospherous on all my seedlings and young plants. It promotes root development so the plant can handle top growth.

Yes, P is important, but if the soil is lacking N, then all the root development in the world won't grow top growth.

I use a complete fertilizer when I am preparing the beds. All the macro nutrients, and a good trace mineral supply, too.

After the plants get growing well (like your tomato in the pot) I can target specific ferts for different growth patterns. But all the plants need a complete feeding to get off to a good start.

Knowing the soil is important, too. Have you done any soil tests for N, P, K and pH? (the basic soils tests)

When I looked at the comparison pics, my first thought was that the ground tomato was in some seriously depleted soil....it has to be the soil...that's the only difference between the two plants, give or take, a few rays of sun...

And/or a difference in temps. My plants grow really slow when it's cool.

That, too, LOL!

Mine do the same. Which is why if I don't get some cuttings rooted and in the ground, I won't have a fall harvest!

Lisa,
How do you root your tomato cuttings? Can I ask here?

You are not wrong. It is _very_ cruddy soil - and is rock-hard unless it's being rained on, in which case, it's boot-sucking mud.

I worked pretty hard this spring at weeding, tilling, and fertilizing. I blended in some truly yummy EKO compost and some steer manure (though I now know that I was far too conservative when I did this), and blended in bonemeal to improve the phosphorous content. I periodically water with a fish-based fertilizer to slowly but steadily improve the nitrogen content.

Naturally, the weeds are the happiest plants in that bed...

I also got a PH Tester and discovered that the soil is somewhere between neutral and mildly alkaline, so that will have to be dealt with.

The plan is to spend some time this afternoon re-weeding (sigh), before gently digging in some more compost around the base of the plant. Hopefully that will improve the soil quality at least a bit. Then I'll mulch with a combination of sphagnum moss (which will hopefully help with the alkalinity?) and grass cuttings to regulate the temperature a bit and, hopefully, keep the weeds down.

I'm a first-time gardener so I am REALLY learning a lot this season. Thank you so much for all the advice!

I'll keep you posted!

Linda, I take a piece of the mother plant and stick it in the soil keeping the soil really wet until I see top growth. I never use rooting hormone.

Thanks, Lisa!

I've used cinnamon on occasion as a rooting hormone. Not that I noticed it worked -- only cuz I read it could be used as such, LOL!

Heading home to take some cuttings on the Sweet Ozark and the Pruden's Purples. And, if I don't keel over, rip the vines that need to come down. They've all made it to the 7'4" top of the
T-Frame...

Hugs!

Why are you ripping the vines out? Have they stopped producing?

Slightly alkaline soil should not be too much of a problem, but does indicate that you can add more compost, mulch or similar materials.

Lisa,
They get so ratty from the heat. The bottoms and leaves start yellowing, and right now, I have a Stinkbug Nymph infestation. They've given their all by the time I rip em.

And, I like starting them over as neat little seedlings or cuttings. Plus, I'll have chance to scatter those Nymphs, then cover the bed with tulle over short hoops, just until the seedlings take off again, and it starts cooling off.

I just wanted to share an update -

The slowly growing tomato, while still not huge (nitrogen deficiency, maybe?) continues to be healthy, and after plucking off the first two rounds of flowers, I give up and am going to let it bud.

The tomato on my balcony... is a monster and I just wanted to share my pride and happiness.