Can I plant my tomatoes in the same place each year if I replace all soil in the bed?

Question

I have a very small garden space in a raised bed. I could put the tomatoes in pots to rotate the crop, but don't like to do tomatoes in pots. I think it affects the texture and taste.

Answer 1

Sure. I have done it a couple years in a row. All you have to do is replenish the nutrients in the soil, not actually replace the soil.

One thing that can happen is volunteer plants might come up if some tomatoes drop off the plant and rot, but just pull them up when they first start to sprout.

Answer 2

You shouldn't have to replace all the soil just add some nutrients. I like to add bone meal for one. If you didn't have a problem with blight last year it should be fine to use the same location. Planting in a pot should have no effect on the texture or taste of your tomatoes. That would be from poor soil nutrients and improper watering. It may even be the type of tomato you planted.

Answer 3

Commercial growers use the same location by rotating tomatoes with a winter legume as a green manure. Most, if not all, nitrogen can be supplied by legumes in rotation; composts or manures can fill in the balance. Provide additional supplemental nitrogen at transplanting; a mixture of animal meal by-products, rock phosphate, and kelp meal is commonly used.'
Tomatoes prefer soil with a pH of 5.5-7.5. To help prevent blossom-end rot, incorporate lime at the rate of 1 lb. per 20 sq. ft. and a complete fertilizer like Life Link Tomato & Vegetable Food (4-5-3) and 3 - 5 pounds compost per 10 square feet at least 6 weeks prior to planting. Mulch after planting. Repeat fertilization at the rate of a handful per plant, worked into the soil in a band around the plant when the plants are 6-8 weeks old and again 4 weeks later.

Blood Meal 11-0-0 Highest N of all organic sources, very fast acting if made into tea.
Bone Meal (steamed) 1-11-0 Releases nutrients slowly.
Fish Emulsion 4-1-1 Also adds 5% sulfur. Good N source for seedlings, won't burn.
Kelp Meal 1-0.5-2.5 Provides 60 trace elements, plus growth- promoting hormones and enzymes.
Eggshells 1.2-0.4-0.1 Contains calcium plus trace minerals. Dry first, then grind to powder.
Limestone (dolomitic) 0-0-0 Raises pH, 51% calcium and 40% magnesium.

Answer 4

You don't need to replace the soil. Just add what the TV shows call "amenities", fancy word for replaceing the nutrients. Have the soil tested, A good garden store can do it, and buy and add what they say how they say. I plant mine in the same place every year but I have a garden 55ft by 25ft. I also use the waste from the year before when I till it under.

Answer 5

I have the same situation and switch sides of my garden for different crops each year, i.e., peppers on one side tomatoes on the other. It also helps to work in some organic compost (purchased from your local Lowes or Home Depot if you do not make your own). This will help replace the lost nutrients in the soil without having to replace all the soil each year.

Happy Growing!
PC

Answer 6

Sure, but you don't have to change the soil. Just turn some manure into the soil and wait about a week before planting. It would not hurt to water the soil a couple of times a don't get too carried away with the manure. About a shovel or two per square yard is plenty.

Answer 7

if you change the soil, it is no longer the same place.