While I was researching seed starting (if you haven't heard, it didn't work for me this time) I came across some sites that said it would be helpful to plant your tomatoes with broken eggshells to prevent blossom end rot, now I don't know what that is, but it sure sounded like something I didn't want my plants to get so I went ahead and checked with Shana at Horticopia (through an Etsy convo - like email for etsy) to see what she thought about that:
Me: it has been recommended to me that I plant them with broken eggshells to help prevent blossom end rot, is there any merit in this? Any particularly helpful general suggestions you have to help these little guys succeed? Thanks again.
Shana: Regarding Egg Shells: If you have them & want to use them go ahead. What the plants need is calcium (to prevent blossom end rot). If you add a good organic Tomato fertilizer when you plant, it should contain enough calcium to serve the plants.
Regarding Planting: When you plant, Dig your hole deep, but not too wide. Leaving the tip & ONE (1) set of leaves bellow [the tip], CAREFULLY cut the remaining leaves off. Bury the plant up to the lower set of leaves. The tomato is unique in its ability to generate root all along the buried stem. More Roots = Hardier Plant !!
I hope this answers your questions :) Shanna
Again, I was glad I gave this buying tomoatoes off etsy thing a try (specifically buying them from Shana/Horticopia). She had come through on her promise to continually support in the planting and growing process and I felt more confident armed with her advice. I had read about the trimming leaves on other sites, but I'm not sure I would have attempted it without Shana's reccomendation of it as well. That's what Etsy's about, you get to feel like you know the people you are doing business with and a trust is formed.
Off the Etsy soap box and back to the tomatoes, sorry.
So here are my eggshells plus some fertilizer
plus some soil of course
Mix it all together and you get this lovely fertile pot ready to nourish and sustain yummy tomatoes!
I trimmed all but one set of leaves off each plant (well, I may have left more than one set on some of the plants where they had already started to branch off) and carefully nestled them into their new homes.
(you may need to click on the picture for a better view of these little guys)
5/28/10
A week later and they're growing!
6/3/10
Yes I know, I thought my seedlings were growing too and they all died off and it was terribly sad, but these really do look healthy and one even has a lovely little yellow bud. So while I will not know the ultimate fate of this tomato attempt for several months, I am at this moment encouraged and hopeful :)
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