Yep another year...

 

My crop was terrible last year.  I used topsoil and Miracle Grow in the beds, but the tomatoes produced little golf balls that would rot.  Peppers produced exactly one per plant.  All the others failed for the most part.

 

So now it is a new year.  Tips on improving the soil?  Beefstake tomatoes should not be golf balls after 70 days growing.

Rot starting on the bottom? Sounds like a cal/mag deficiency sometimes called bottom rot if it's starting on the bottom. Dilute epson salt into a gallon of water and pour around the root area of each plant before the tomatoes are ripening. Peppers are also subject to this.

What kind of topsoil? Better to get a planting mix than cheap topsoil. Also check the PH of your water and soil. If they are off it can lock nutrients out of your plants so no matter what fertilizer you put down it won't get into the plants. 

I went with raised beds this year and spent some coin on a good quality planting mix. My garden is already exploding. 

As for fertilizer I went with Fox Farm nutrients a few years ago and could not be happier with the results. I belive midwest px went with Fox farms last year and had great results as well. Before fox farms I used garden tone with decent results. 

Miracle grow soil with a little bagged manure from home depot.

I don't have a garden yet till I cut trees down but I have some pepper plants and tomateo plants in pots to grow. All look great right now minus my one tomateo plant which the leafs are starting to curl and some getting yellow at bottom. No clue what is up with that.

I believe I used a miracle grow for vegetables specifically for pot planting (jokes aside lol)