Tomatoes are very hungry plants when they are beginning to grow in spring gardens, so it is essential that they receive the right nutrients now to thrive. In April, tomatoes focus on growing the main stalk that will later need to carry lots of heavy fruit.
If tomatoes are not fed properly, then the stems will be thinner and weaker, so they will not be able to store enough energy away to get big, plump tomatoes in the summer. However, Shane Genziuk, an expert and founder of Ground to Ground, has shared that there is a very simple way to encourage tomato stems to grow that will not cost you a penny.
Shane said: “You can get lush and beautiful tomato plants using all-natural ingredients found at home. Namely, coffee grounds.
“Used coffee grounds make some of the best fertiliser around. Containing nutrients that support healthy plants, acids and nitrogen, the soil will become the perfect habitat for this lovely red fruit.”
You can help your tomatoes grow with just the leftovers you used to make your morning brew, as coffee grounds contain a lot of nitrogen, which is the nutrient needed to help foliage grow.
Coffee grounds will also help make soil mildly acidic, so will make the ground a more more favourable environment to grow stronger tomatoes.
However, one of the main benefits of coffee grounds is that they can work as a natural pest repellent, as their strong, bitter scent and acidic properties are known to keep slugs from eating your tomatoes.
Shane said: It will also repel insects and slugs, which are usually very attracted to the promise of a juicy tomato to burrow into. The only critter it will attract is the worm, and you want those living in your soil.”
How to feed tomato plants with coffee grounds
Like with anything in life, too much of a good thing can be bad for you, and it is the same with using natural fertilisers on plants, as they will be much more potent than synthetic feeds.
Adding too many coffee grounds can over-fertilise tomatoes and cause them to have a nitrogen overload, which will lead to excessive foliage growth at the expense of fruit production.
This will lead to lopsided tomatoes with incredibly thick stems, but they will not produce much fruit in the summertime.
Instead, you need half a cup to one cup of used coffee grounds per tomato plant for them to get the nutrients they need. It is better to only add a little and be cautious rather than adding too much.
Shane said: “If you are seeing an effect but not as much as you would like, you can always add in more coffee grounds and adjust over time. The condition of your soil, the climate, the size of the plants and other factors can interfere.”
Simply sprinkle the coffee grounds around the base of the tomato plant, but make sure to leave space around the stem, and mix the grounds into the topsoil.
Then, give the tomatoes a thorough watering after adding the coffee grounds, as it will help mix them into the soil and feed the roots.
You only need to apply coffee grounds once a month in springtime, as it is a slow-releasing fertiliser and will continue to feed your tomatoes throughout their growing season.
However, taking the time to do this will help give your tomatoes the boost it need to grow stronger stems that will be able to hold bigger fruit in the summer.