Organic tomato and vegetable soil
| Packaging unit | Price | Quantity info |
|---|---|---|
| 20 L bag | € 17,90 | |
| Big Bag (1 m³ – available by order only) | € 244,00 |
Ready-to-use soil for tomatoes and vegetables in pots, containers, window boxes, or tubs. Also particularly suitable for chili peppers. Fill the container and plant directly.
Please note: This soil has a particularly high water retention capacity and should therefore not be watered too frequently. Always check whether watering is actually necessary before watering.
Harvesting juicy tomatoes and fresh vegetables directly from your balcony has never been easier than with this substrate. The soil has been specially developed for growing vegetables in planters.
Its outstanding quality was proven in an independent comparison of peat-free substrates from various manufacturers. The test was carried out by the “Versuchsstation für Spezialkulturen Wies” (Wies Experimental Station for Special Crops). The results are impressive! Sonnenerde's organic tomato and vegetable soil achieved top marks in many parameters: vigorous growth, healthy plants, and by far the best yield—without any fertilization!
Another advantage is its particularly high structural stability. This ensures that the soil does not settle and that the root area is always well aerated.
The organic tomato and vegetable soil is optimally supplied with nutrients. No fertilization is required throughout the entire growing season. The horn shavings it contains are a nitrogen-based slow-release fertilizer and are slowly decomposed by fungi. A white fungal network is therefore normal and indicates high biological activity.
Organic compost, expanded clay, wood fiber, soft raw phosphate, and horn shavings
Product video
No fertilizer needed!
At the Research Institute for Special Crops in Wies, Umweltberatung and EasyCert conducted a comparative test with nine different peat-free organic soils.
A mulch layer (1–3 cm thick) is absolutely recommended for several reasons. First, it protects your soil from drying out too quickly by preventing water from simply evaporating. Second, the mulch material supplies nutrients for the microbial life in your soil. For example, our Bio Faser mainly consists of stable straw from dried organic cattle manure and is a perfect long-term nitrogen source for large pots or raised beds.
You can also incorporate all plant waste into your mulch layer. The use of so-called “cover crops,” meaning ground-covering plants, is practiced in living soil cultivation and is also hotly debated (especially indoors).
Advantages of sowing a cover crop like clover include: the soil is naturally covered, and the withered ground cover becomes part of the living soil again. Some ground covers, such as most clover species, are legumes that can fix nitrogen from the air and make it available in the soil, keeping the bed lush and green.
However, there are also disadvantages that should not be overlooked. For one, you shouldn’t use too many different or labor-intensive plants—the cover crop shouldn’t require more work than the main crop. Also, depending on where you live, cover crops may attract or introduce pests and diseases, which can be problematic.
On the one hand, our hemp soil Hanferde has been specially formulated in terms of nutrient content and structure for growing cannabis; on the other hand, the addition of biochar gives it the so-called Terra Preta effect. It is, if you like, a Terra Preta for the pot. See also: What effect does biochar have in Sonnenerde products? As our organic potting soil Bio Blumenerde and organic tomato and vegetable soil Bio Tomaten- und Gemüseerde are very nutrient-rich, they will likely suffice for one growing cycle. However, due to the absence of biochar and other structural materials, they are less suitable for long-term use.
The first signs of overwatering are hanging/limp leaves. Over time, the plant becomes lighter in colour overall and its growth slows down, which is often mistaken for a lack of nutrients in the soil. Brown, necrotic patches may then appear on the leaves, as nutrient uptake is now permanently interrupted. In cases of permanent overwatering/waterlogging, the soil begins to smell musty and root rot may occur.
To prevent overwatering or waterlogging, it is recommended to use a tensiometer, especially at the beginning. As a general rule when watering, the maxim ‘less is more’ applies. Keep an eye for drainage in the tray and, if you see any, reduce the amount of water you use the next time you water. Depending on your setup, automatic watering systems can be used. See also: How do I water my plants in your Hanferde?
Pieces of wood are a natural component of our compost and do not constitute a quality defect. All our products are screened using a trommel screen during processing. A specific mesh size is used to remove coarser particles. However, individual pieces of wood may remain in the product if their diameter is smaller than the respective mesh size. This is due to technical constraints and is also a reflection of our conscious commitment to gentle, nature-friendly processing.
We firmly believe that plastics have no place in nature and therefore have no place in our soils either. That is why we invest a great deal of time, money and energy into keeping our products free from contaminants. We deeply regret it when, despite our best efforts, very occasional plastic particles find their way into our products.
In this regard, we would like to give you a brief insight into some of our quality assurance measures:
Selection of raw materials: We use only regional tree and shrub cuttings, as well as controlled sludge (e.g. from jam production and milk processing), to produce our compost. We have made a conscious decision not to use the contents of organic waste bins, as these contain vast quantities of packaging materials, plastic bags and other contaminants.
Inspection on delivery: Unfortunately, it is a widespread social problem that waste is often carelessly discarded in the natural environment. Consequently, tree and shrub cuttings are sometimes contaminated with plastic. The raw materials delivered are always checked by our staff for contaminants. Obvious contaminants such as plastic flower pots or similar items are sorted out by hand before processing. In cases of severe contamination, acceptance is consistently refused.
Technical processing: Despite careful raw material selection and inspection, we cannot entirely prevent isolated pieces of plastic from entering the raw material mix for our compost. To separate these particles before processing into the final product, the finished compost is sieved using a defined mesh size.
External quality controls: Our composts is inspected several times a year by external, independent testing bodies. A key component of these inspections is the sampling and laboratory analysis of the compost. The test results are published on our website to ensure the greatest possible transparency. The analysis also examines the compost for contaminants (see ‘Table 3: Test results for dietary fibre’). Compliance with the Austrian Compost Ordinance is certified in Chapter ‘4. Compost Assessment’ through classification into Quality Class A+ (our organic compost Bio Kompost) or Quality Class A (conventional compost). Plastics in particular are extremely difficult to separate due to their material properties (e.g. low weight, low resistance to mechanical stress, non-magnetic…). Even more intensive technical processing of our compost to separate the last, very isolated plastic particles (according to compost test results < 0.2%) is by no means proportionate to the associated environmental impacts (e.g. CO2 emissions from the additional energy consumption). As a company committed to environmental sustainability, we could not condone this. Furthermore, to our knowledge, there is currently no process that allows for the complete separation of plastics. We therefore ask that any plastic parts found be removed by hand. We would also be delighted to invite you to visit our premises in person to see for yourself. Once a year (on 1 May), as part of our open day, we even offer free guided tours with our CEO Gerald Dunst, during which all our work processes are demonstrated and explained. As a company dedicated to the sensible recycling and recovery of biogenic waste on a daily basis, we take our responsibility towards nature very seriously!
A white fungal network in your soil is nothing to worry about; in fact, quite the opposite: all our soils thrive on an extremely diverse microbial ecosystem. Decomposing fungi are an important part of this system. They use the nitrogen from the horn shavings to produce their own fungal protein. The bound nitrogen is later mineralised, making it directly available to plants.
It depends. If no other material is available, you can use grass clippings or straw. Whilst both materials do provide some protection for the soil, they also have a number of drawbacks. Grass clippings are usually still very damp and compact, and this often simply leads to rotting, especially if they are applied in a very thick layer. They should therefore be left to dry out before being spread. Furthermore, there is an increased risk of weeds sprouting from the grass clippings and spreading in the bed. Straw has a rather coarse texture and often floats to the surface when watered. Both materials also provide only a limited amount of nutrients, and only for a short time. Ideally, our organic fibre Bio Faser should be used for mulching. It is structurally stable, is not blown away by the wind and supplies the soil with nutrients.
Our soil activator Bodenaktivator is not only suitable for outdoor use but can also be used to revitalise used potting soil. (See also What should I use your soil activator Bodenaktivator for? and How can I reuse your hemp soil Hanferde?)
Our soil activator Bodenaktivator kick-starts humus formation in the soil. With consistent use over several years, you can transform your own soil into Terra Preta. However, this only works for outdoor use in beds with direct soil contact, not (!) for repeatedly refreshing potting soil. The existing soil biology, including macro-organisms, is essential; otherwise, nutrients and structure will eventually be depleted due to the limited space. Mulching, e.g. with our organic fibre Bio Faser, is of course also essential for this application. (See also Why should I mulch every soil?)
To this point, no dosage of our soil activator Bodenaktivator has been found to be harmful to plants. Initial trials with hemp were successful even when using 100% Bodenaktivator. The biochar releases the nutrients bound to it only when needed. However, for structural reasons alone, it is advisable not to exceed a dosage of 10% per application.
Our organic tomato and vegetable soil Bio Tomaten- und Gemüseerde is the perfect soil for growing your own vegetables or tomatoes in pots or planters. It is particularly well suited to heavy feeders such as chillies or peppers. It has a very stable structure, ensuring consistent aeration of the root zone at all times. At the same time, it has outstanding water-holding capacity, meaning that (especially when used in combination with a layer of mulch, e.g. our organic fibre Bio Faser) you’ll need to water significantly less often than with other growing media.
No, our organic tomato and vegetable soil Bio Tomaten- und Gemüseerde is rich in nutrients and does not require any additional fertiliser throughout the season. As with all soils, we recommend applying a layer of organic mulch, for example made from our organic fibre Bio Faser, to our Bio Tomaten- und Gemüseerde as well.
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