What is "tomato fertilizer"? There are dozens of different formulas under that name. Some have micronutrients, but most don't. Some people say tomato fertilizers should be higher in P than N or K. Others say they should be higher in K. Most people agree that tomatoes need calcium. I believe the ideas Al (aka Tapla) puts forth in his Fertilizing Containerized Plants posts. All plants use nutrients in close to the same ratio: 3:1:2.

Since I grow my tomatoes in containers, I've been using a controlled release fertilizer with a ratio close to that and fertigate during the season with a soluble fertilizer with that ratio. I make sure my fertilizers have calcium, magnesium and trace elements. I sometimes use Tomatotone once the fruits start to form, which doesn't exactly fit the bill because it's lower in N. Reducing N at the time of flowering is one theory Al and others have talked about of how to increase yield. I always liked it when I used it in the garden, and it's easy to use without risk of burning.

Here's the thread I mentioned.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fertilizing Containerized Plants

As far as formulation, there shouldn't be a difference between growing in container and in ground. But, I would think that Slow Release granular is better for containers, as containers are watered more frequently and a bigger portion of water soluble will go right off the drain.

Seysonn, that is why one matches the fertilization to the frequency of watering. If watering more often, add a smaller amount of fertilizer per dose....thus, less waste.

Josh