Dr. Earth Organic 5 Tomato, Vegetable & Herb Fertilizer Poly Bag

I live in west-central Ohio, and have been growing tomatos on the same small 3ft x 20ft plot of land along a south-facing stockade fence for 19 years. I amend the soil every couple years (not this year) with store-bought manure and peat, but generally don't obsess over it. Historically I've foliage fed my plants weekly with Miracle Grow for Tomatos. This practice usually results in 6 foot tall plants and a good beginning crop after about 90-100 days. This year I decided to give Dr. Earth a shot after reading many positive reviews online. I added the recommended amount of dry Dr. Earth in with the soil during planting; it took about 1/2 the bag for nine plants. After about two weeks I was seeing what appeared to be accelerated growth, with many blossoms in large clusters, thicker vines, and even some small tomatoes starting. I simply continued to water and prune my plants regularly (suckers only) as I've done for the last 19 years (but no Miracle Grow feedings this year). About 1 month after planting I made "compost tea" as described on the bag, straining out the solids which I mixed into the soil at the base of each plant (as recommended). I then evenly distributed about 2 gallons of the (REALLY SMELLY) "tea" via watering can over the all plants' foliage. (WARNING: As described in some review posts, this compost "tea" absolutely STINKS, especially after sitting in the sun...I mean BAD. They are NOT kidding...) I write this review only 50 days after the original planting date... All I can say is WOW! I planted all nine of these box-store-purchased indeterminant tomato plants as 3" tall seedlings on Mother's Day. I now have plants that just hit SIX FEET TALL, and are COVERED in huge clusters of blossoms and MANY tomatoes. Some of my cherry tomatoes are even FULLY RIPE (50 days!). Gardening friends of mine who live next door are in awe of the difference in my plants vs theirs. At this rate I am seriously struggling with how to control the growth of these things, as I'm reluctant to pinch-off vines that have blossoms all over them. I'm betting these vigorous plants will easily reach at least 10'+ tall (WITH blossoms/tomatoes along the entire length, I suspect) before the season ends in late September. Now if I can just figure out how to support them.... FANTASTIC PRODUCT! ---------------------------- 11 August 2014 UPDATE: 91 Days After Planting... My tomato plants have continued growing like mad, and have (seriously) reached 9 feet tall. All I've done is keep them staked vertically (no simple task), watered, and pruned any suckers that appear. The fruit output has been tremendous, with literally HUNDREDS of cherry tomatoes already harvested or in progress per plant. My Better Boys are producing 5" diameter fruit. I'm sold on Dr. Earth. BUY THIS PRODUCT! ------------------------------------- 2015 Results - August 14, 2015: Went with Dr. Earth again in 2015, exactly as described in 2014. I won't waste your time with another review....BETTER results than last year.....check out my photos taken 85 days after planting 3" seedlings. That's a 6-foot stockade fence, and those are 9-foot tall custom-made supports (necessary after last years' results). Yes, the plants are THAT tall after 85 days...Zoom in and check out all the tomatoes ripening. AMAZING! BUY THIS PRODUCT!

I buy this to add to my dirt after removing all the dead plants or when plants have finished producing. I mix it in with the existing dirt. The bag is the right size, and not too heavy. You can use the fertilizer in several ways, by putting it around plants while growing as long as you do not add excessive product. The bag is heavy duty and I have had it outside in direct sun, but when its well sealed the product stays dry. I often use this with cucumbers and it appears to increase growth and production. The product is easy to use and instructions are on the bag. The appearance when you open the bag is a mixture of different materials that go into their fertilizers. I have not had mold concerns. The bag is heavy duty with nice graphics and has all the information I needed.

First, this product is packaged in a re-sealable bag, not a box like that shown here for this item. Also, the previous reviewer was describing the method of making "fertilizer tea" that's listed on the product bag. BUT, the general (and normal) method of applying this product is to scoop 1-1/2 cups of fertilizer from the bag and spread it evenly over a 10 sq foot area. I've been using this product now for about 2 months. As far as results, I'm still not real sure. I definitely saw an improvement in my new vegetable beds after applying this. But, I can't say that this is a superior product over any other. I'm still in research mode trying this again along with other organic products. One other thing to note; the shipping weight for this is currently listed as 8 pounds. This product is a 4 pound bag so if you're not getting free shipping, you might be paying twice as much as you should for delivery.

This is my favorite organic tomato/veggie fertilizer. It is fool proof really, easy to use and has clear instructions. It is a generous amount for the price and lasts me a long time, especially compared to some of the other fancy organic amendments I’ve tried. I am a serious gardener, but up until recently, I could only container garden. With container gardening, giving the plants enough nutrients is essential, since watering them washes some of it away through the container, and the roots can’t ‘forage’ for those nutrients like they could in the ground. This product is KEY to keeping my container crops healthy and happy. I add it to my potting soil per the easy directions on the bag, once I’m ready to plant my seedlings in their permanent place. Then I make a compost tea, from the instructions on the bag, here and there throughout the growing season. (Long growing season in Los Angeles). I’ve had the best experience with container tomatoes and other veggies by amending this product with my favorite potting soil, Fox Farm’s Ocean Forest, along with Worm Castings and BioChar. My tomatoes never have blossom end rot with this combo, in case any other container gardeners are interested. And I only ever get blight close to the end of the season, when the tomatoes are too stressed out from the cold weather and ready to die anyway. This fertilizer will make your crop strong and healthy against the local pests and my homegrown tomatoes are always so very delicious!

I have been growing most of our veggies and herbs in our basement for about 6 years, and have had great success with this endeavor. I often grow more produce than we can use and give the excess to a local food pantry. I started using this fertilizer a couple of months ago on new plants by mixing 1/4 cup per 5 gallons of soil. The result I am seeing are amazing. My zucchini and yellow squash plants are larger and healthier than they have in previous grows, and are producing more flowers. The same is true for my bush tomato plants. My previous grow of bush tomatoes was good and they produced well, but they never got as large as my current tomato plants, nor did they produce as many tomatoes without blossom rot. There is a reason for this increased success. The potting soils used for indoor growing are usually sterilized to kill unwanted pests and possible fungal diseases, but this also kills the good microbes and organisms that are beneficial to growing plants. This fertilizer adds the seven strains of beneficial soil microbes plus ecto and endo mycorrhizae which are fungi that have a symbiotic relationship with the plants.. . Ectomycorrhizae do not penetrate deep into the plant (the cortical cells), while endo mycorrhizae tend to penetrate deeper (into the cortical cells). Endomycorrhizae literally attach themselves to the roots, penetrate cell walls, and become one with the roots. Endomycorrhizae form symbiotic relationships with 80 to 90 percent of all plants, including turf. On the other hand, ectomycorrhizae just kind of lay up next to the roots, coming into very close proximity but don’t attach themselves. Mycorrhizae are responsible for increasing the uptake of nutrients, minerals, and moisture by the plant The plant and mycorrhizae form a mutualistic relationship whereby the plant produces sugars through photosynthesis and exudes them out of the roots for mycorrhizae and other beneficial microorganisms to consume. For plants, the big benefit is the “enhanced supply of available nutrients, including carbon, potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen. They also get a faster uptake of minerals, such as calcium, copper, iron and zinc, and in greater amounts than would normally have been available to their roots.” As a result, mycorrhizae allows for an increased tolerance to adverse soil conditions (think low amounts of NPK and poor pH). What this all means is that this fertilizer helps to supply beneficial organisms found naturally in outdoor soil but does not exist in the potting soil used for plants grown indoors. In my experience, this fertilizer has definitely increased the growth and production of the many plants that I grow. Although I believe this fertilizer would be beneficial for growing indoors or outdoors, it will not compensate for under or over watering.. You need to know the needs of the plants you are growing. I hope this review was helpful for you.

I’ve used this brand over the years and it’s my favorite brand! It’s easy to use and gives me great results with my vegetable garden! I love how it’s not all chemicals. I have pets and wild furry friends who visit my garden and am happy I know they won’t be harmed by this fertilizer. The smell isn’t bad eother! I add some in the pot as I transplant my seedlings. During mid summer it’s easy to just scratch some in the top of the soil to continue fertilizing. I can’t express how easy this is to use and what great results you get! It’s the only brand for me now! I was happy to see this brand offered for a reasonable price. The stores carry it but it’s so expensive. I found this company offering the same product for much less! I bought two! I’ll definitely be a repeat customer as long as they can keep the price reasonable. I highly recommend this product! Great company! Great price!

I use this for all my plants tomatoes, green onions, eggplants, basil, jalapeños, and oregano & it definitely got the job done. It’s been growing my plants like crazy. I brought it 2 weeks ago and I should already be expecting my first tomatoes harvest by the first week of September. My plants are growing crazy fast. I’m terms or the flies & gnats as long as you have well draining soil then it shouldn’t be a problem. There is a little smell with the fertilizer but nothing crazy. Definitely didn’t linger for more than a couple minutes. They didn’t bother my produce at all. There is nothing on the bag that says “cause cancer” either. I highly recommend this product. I just sprinkle a handful of it around the base of my plants and water. It’s that simple. With anything be sure to do research on the right fertilizer for you’re needs and your plants. Also do research on your plants. Some of you all in the reviews are blaming the fertilizer when you might need to educate yourself more of your plants. Good luck planters :). I hope this review helps!

Didn’t do so well for tomato's, but turned my mint and basils into lavish, impressive shrubs!

As a fertilizer it is the best I have known - it works wonders for my Tomatoes and others . I like this product and would be buying it again as needed - a good buy for quality and price.

My plants love it.

Fertilizer arrived sooner than expected. It's early in our gardening season here and I've only used it once but I can definitely see a difference with some of the plants I used it on. Since I'm container gardening on my balcony I found it difficult to calculate how much fertilizer in how much soil for preparing small batches to top up my pots. Quite honestly I'd be happier if I could mix up a solution to use with my watering instead of needing to add it to soil. There is a recipe for making a solution but it sounds like it's for trees and shrubs and I'm afraid it would be too strong for my containers. I emailed the company asking for clarification about what I needed to use for the size of containers I'm using and received no reply. That is disappointing since they ask people to contact them on the label and on their website. If they had replied and been more helpful I'd probably give them a 5 star rating. I'm sure I'll have plenty of fertilizer for years to come!