Like many tomato gardeners, I am always looking for a better and easier way to grow delicious tomatoes. One of the things I'm always trying to improve on is fertilizing my tomatoes.

Although using liquid and granular fertilizers is not very difficult, it can be time consuming trying to figure out how much fertilizer to use and then applying it, especially if you have a bunch of plants. There have been times when I spent a whole morning just feeding my tomatoes.

A few months ago I was approached by Winchester Gardens to see if I would like to try out some of their fertilizer products. One of these products was tomato fertilizer spikes. I'll be the first to admit that I was skeptical of how well spikes worked with tomatoes.

Then again, I haven't ever used spikes before, so I couldn't be too judgmental before trying them.

Winchester Gardens' Tomato Fertilizer Spikes

The first thing I wanted to check out about this tomato fertilizer was the N-P-K rating as that tells you the nutrient contents of the fertilizer.

I tend to stay away from any fertilizer that has a high content of nitrogen, as this can cause you to grow big, lush plants, but very little fruit. This is especially true if you add more nitrogen later in the season when the plants begin blooming and setting fruit.

As you can see in the photo above, the spikes feature a rating of 8-24-8, which is 8% nitrogen, 24% phosphorus, and 8% potassium. I generally go for a fertilizer that has a little lower numbers in the nitrogen content, but 8% is not that bad.

Winchester Gardens recommends using the spikes at the time of planting or early in the season. This is a good time for a little more nitrogen because it will encourage more foliar growth.

The fertilizer spikes also have a high concentration of phosphorus, 24%, which will help the plant build a stronger root system. This is very important during the early stages of plant growth.

You want the tomato plant to focus most of its energy towards developing a strong root system. Strong roots mean a strong and productive plant.

The tomato spikes also contain 4.5% sulfur which is a very important secondary nutrient. It can help prevent blossom end rot and helps the plant build healthy plant cells.

Each package comes with 18 Tomato Spikes and each spike is roughly 1-1/2 inches long and about half an inch wide.

A Close-up of a Tomato Fertilizer Spike


Using Winchester Gardens' Tomato Fertilizer Spikes

One of the greatest benefits I found to using the tomato fertilizer spikes is its ease of use. To be honest, it just doesn't get any easier!

To apply the spikes you simply push one spike six to eight inches away from the plant on both sides. Here's a quick demonstration of using the tomato fertilizer spikes:

Go to the tomato plant that you want to use the fertilizer spikes on. Measure out six to eight inches from the stem of the plant and remove any mulch from that area. You want to place the spike directly in the soil.

Simply stick the spike into the soil in the area you cleared off.

Stick the Fertilizer Spike Into the Soil


Press the spike down at least one inch deep.

Press the Spike Down At Least One Inch Deep
The Tomato Fertilizer Spike Inserted Into the Soil


Repeat the same process six to eight inches away from the tomato plant on the opposite side so there are two spikes per tomato plant.

Tomato Plant With Both Fertilizer Spikes Applied


That's it! It is just that easy.

In just a few short minutes you will have given your tomato plant good slow release fertilizer that feeds for up to eight weeks.

Pros of the Tomato Fertilizer Spikes

    • Very easy to use; only takes a few seconds to apply

    • No need to measure fertilizer amounts; eliminates guesswork

    • Cost-effective; cheaper than most tomato fertilizers

    • Each pack fertilizes up to nine tomato plants up to eight weeks

  • High content of phosphorus; encourages strong root development

Cons of the Tomato Fertilizer Spikes

I could not find any disadvantages to using this product for fertilizing my tomatoes. The only thing I had trouble with was trying to figure out whether the spikes should be pushed one inch below the soil, or just pushed one inch into the soil with some of the spike sticking up.

As you can see in my photos, I pushed the spike into the soil one inch, but left the top of the spike sticking up. So, the only complaint I have is the directions should be a bit more clear on how far to stick the spike into the soil.

I believe the spike still worked very well either way.

Recommendation

Overall, I feel the Winchester Gardens' Tomato Fertilizer Spikes are a fantastic product. It is a very easy solution to fertilizing tomatoes that eliminates the need for measuring fertilizer amounts.

You simply stick them in the soil and forget about them.

With a cost of $3.50 per pack, it is also very economical considering you can feed nine tomato plants for up to eight weeks with just one pack.

If you want an easy solution for fertilizing your tomatoes then I highly recommend you try these fertilizer spikes from Winchester Gardens!

Tomatoes Grown Using the Tomato Fertilizer Spikes


This is my honest and fair review of the Tomato Fertilizer Spikes, which was supplied to me for review by Winchester Gardens. I did not receive any monetary compensation in exchange for this review.