Fortunately, tomatoes can grow in a wide range of soil PH (about 5.5 - 7.5) however, 6.0 - 7.0 is ideal. If you're not sure what the PH of your soil is or if you've had some problems raising tomatoes, you should have it tested. You can either buy a test kit or meter like the one you see here and do it yourself or you can take some samples of soil to your local County Extension Service. For a small fee, they'll give you a full report on PH and fertilization plus make recommendations for amending your soil if necessary.
The soil should be loose with good drainage and plenty of organic material. I always put all my grass clippings and leaves on the garden and then till everything in. Doing that provides a fertile soil with plenty of worms to keep it loose and well drained.
Because I give back to my soil, I haven't tested it for years. When I plant my tomato plants, I fertilize once with Miracle Grow to help the roots get started and that's it for fertilizing. If you fertilize your plants over the growing season, remember that tomato plants need more phosphorous than nitrogen. Too much nitrogen can cause excessive foliage growth with few tomatoes. You can purchase fertilizer specifically made for tomatoes but make sure you follow the directions.
The soil is the most IMPORTANT part when growing any plant. Make sure you're sustaining your soil by giving back what you take every season. You can do that by making sure you add plenty of green (grass clippings, disease free plant growth, etc.) and brown (straw, leaves, twigs, etc.) organic material and tilling it in. After a couple of years you'll notice a big difference in your soil and the plants that you grow in it.
For more information, visit my website http://www.rmarketplaceonline.com/raisingtomatoes.html
Sharing my experiences to help you with yours!
Tomato Rog
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