Making a rich feed with tomatoes is very easy as all you need are weeds and nettles (Image: Getty)
Nothing is better than seeing big plump about to fall off the vine in summer, but they will only produce if they are fed the right . Tomatoes are incredibly easy to grow but need more nutrients compared to other crops so it is essential to begin preparing their feed now in spring.
However, Alexandra Campbell, a and founder of , has shared that a simple yet very effective fertiliser for tomatoes is already growing in your garden.
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Comfrey is a fast growing plant known for its purple bell flowers and for being a great source for nutrients for tomatoes (Image: Getty)
According to Alexandra, you can make an easy homemade fertiliser out of comfrey weeds and nettles in your garden which are known for their high mineral content.
She said: “They grow comfrey for fertiliser at the Abbey Physic. It’s a very invasive plant, so you’re advised to use a variety called Bocking 14, which doesn’t spread. You can also make fertiliser tea with nettles. You can probably collect them from roadsides and common land in the summer.”
Comfrey weeds are rich in the nutrients that tomatoes need to grow, but the best benefit is that they contain a high amount of potassium.
Potassium helps tomatoes become much more flavourful and grow more fruit so you are likely to get a bigger harvest if you use this feed.
This is a natural way to feed tomatoes and boost their health without relying on synthetic chemical fertilisers.
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All you need to do is collect comfrey weeds or nettles and place them in a container filled with water (Image: Getty)
How to make comfrey weeds into a homemade tomato fertiliser
To make comfrey weed fertiliser, you will need a large bucket or container and the weeds.
You will know you have comfrey weeds in your garden as they are large and hairy plants known to produce small bell-shaped flowers.
If you cannot find comfrey weeds, you can also make a feed for tomatoes using nettles. Nettles are high in nitrogen and iron, which will help the plants grow.
You need only collect the weeds and add them to a container filled with water. Then, cover the container with a lid or cloth to keep pests away.
Leave the container to ferment for roughly four weeks, and during this time, the weeds will break down.
Alexandra explained: “Take a bucket of nettle or comfrey leaves and throw it into a large water butt full of water. Let it sit there ‘until it stops stinking’, which will be about a month.”
Once you are ready to feed your tomatoes, strain the liquid and remove any foliage from the feed. Then, dilute the fertiliser with one part of the comfrey liquid and 10 parts of water and use it on your tomatoes.
Alexandra added: “The comfrey or nettle fertiliser should be about the colour of weak tea. If it looks stronger, dilute it to the ‘weak tea’ shade. Pour it onto the soil around the plant, not the leaves. Use it to feed tomatoes weekly and ‘anything that looks a bit sad’ on a monthly basis.”
It is important to dilute the fertiliser, as comfrey is highly rich in nutrients. If not mixed with water, it can overload the soil and burn plant roots.
Use this fertiliser once a month, and the tomatoes will be bigger and much more flavourful when they are ready to harvest in late summer.