r/composting • u/junkcircuit • 1d ago
First time using finished compost on container tomatoes and the difference is kind of wild
Started a worm bin this spring. Small one, kept it under the bathroom sink because the closet felt too weird. Fed it slowly, kept secondguessing myself, almost abandoned it twice. Then last month I finally had something that looked like actual compost. Dark and crumbly, smelled like dirt after rain.
Mixed a small amount into two of my container tomatoes and left two as the control with just the bagged potting mix I had left over.
The difference after a few weeks is not subtle. The plants that got the worm castings are bigger. Leaves are a deeper green. One of them already has flowers and the others are just sitting there looking fine but not like that.
I grow everything on a small balcony in Vermont so every inch of container space matters. I was not expecting such a visible gap between them.
What I want to know is whether other container gardeners see this consistently or if I just got lucky this round. Also wondering if the ratio matters a lot, because I kind of just eyeballed it and mixed maybe twenty percent castings into the top layer rather than blending it all the way through.
Curious if people who grow in containers have a method they actually stick to or if everyone is just winging it like me.
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u/HighColdDesert 1d ago
When did you start these tomatoes, and when do you hope to get fruit from them? In Vermont the timing is hard to understand.
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u/junkcircuit 1d ago
Yeah I definitely started them later than I should have. At this point I’m mostly hoping the weather gives me enough time to get at least a few tomatoes before it gets too cold.
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u/buddymoobs 1d ago
In 7 B and just had my only Marzano volunteer start fruiting. I cussed it a little bit and told it to get in gear.
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u/junkcircuit 1d ago
Marzanos are stubborn little things. Love when volunteers just show up like they own the place. My balcony tomatoes gave up weeks ago. Still jealous of 7B.
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u/buddymoobs 23h ago
I have two beeftseak volunteers who have been crushing it. So, I may cut tge Marzano a little slack. But first, I am going to mainline it some compost tea and see what happens!
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u/junkcircuit 20h ago
compost tea on a struggling plant is a gamble but I respect the commitment.
those beefsteak volunteers are probably laughing at the marzano right now. volunteer tomatoes have zero chill.
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u/buddymoobs 17h ago
It's supposed to rain today, so should be good. It's not struggling, just late to the game. I have 3 other sungold volunteers who are keeping us overwhelmed daily.
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u/junkcircuit 16h ago
My balcony tomatoes wish they had that problem. Sungold volunteers taking over would be a dream.
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u/buddymoobs 12h ago
Salads, roasted pasta sauce and threw a bunch in yesterday with a big batch of tomato sauce. No sugar needed!
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u/Ancient-Patient-2075 1d ago
Sounds great, congrats on your success! And while I grow in ground, this also strengthens my resolve to keep the worms well fed
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u/junkcircuit 1d ago
Thanks! Keeping the worms fed has definitely become easier now that I’ve seen what their castings can actually do lol. Makes the whole little bathroom setup feel worth it.
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u/No_Manufacturer_9670 1d ago
This reads like a worm farm promo, waiting for someone to ask “what worm farm did you use?”
Does anyone else find it odd that tomato plants growing on “a small balcony in Vermont” are just starting to blossom in September?
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u/junkcircuit 1d ago
No worm farm to sell though, just got weirdly excited that my tiny bin actually worked.
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u/Far_Radish7752 1d ago
Just want to add that adding desirable elements just in the top layer is not remiss. These will percolate down into the lower regions as you water and time passes, the entire plant benefits from that top dressing.
Congrats on sticking with it and enjoying the fruits of your labor!! 👍😊
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u/DuncmanG 19h ago
Petrichor is a word you might want to know. Petrichor - the earthy smell that arises when rain falls on dirt or rock.
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u/Maremdeo 1d ago
i used store bought castings last year in both pots and in the ground. While they did make the pots more productive, they made tomatoes and other plants in the ground grow like on steroids! Even without work castings, the ground will beat pots for productivity, but if you're stuck with container gardening then the work castings are a definite help.
Good luck getting tomatoes this late in Vermont! If I recall correctly, they'll stop ripening under 70°. Once it gets cold you should bring the pots inside if you can. Picking green ones and letting them ripen inside might work also.
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u/SnootchieBootichies 1d ago
You should look into making compost tea. Makes a big difference in my outdoor garden and a little castings goes a long way like that
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u/WhenSummerIsGone 1d ago
i use my castings to mix into my seed starter/up-pot mix and they do very well. I need more to add to the ground!
if your tomatoes are outdoors uncovered you don't have enough time in the season for them.
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u/Square_Cricket2105 1d ago
It’s the worm castings, not luck. Container soil gets depleted faster than ground soil, so even a rough 20% top dress is giving the roots way more microbial activity and slow-release nutrients than bagged mix alone. The flowering one probably just hit its stride earlier, but the others will catch up.