Growing Big Tomatoes

There are many reasons why we grow tomatoes, for some it is a necessity, for others it may just be enjoyable, yet others state better health as a reason, or perhaps just having better tasting tomatoes works for you.

Whatever your reason to start growing tomatoes, If you just charged in and planted, you probably ran into a few tomato growing problems like I did. Don’t get me wrong, I had a very good harvest of good tasting tomatoes, and you probably will too, but if I knew then what I know now I would have had a great harvest.

Listed below are a few problems you may encounter as well as what causes them, and of course what you can do to avoid them.

Blossom end rot (BER)- Here is a problem I ran into although I did not realize it at the time. BER usually starts at the blossom end of the fruit, as the fruit grows the leathery patch also becomes larger, turns tan to dark brown and eventually black. Your affected tomato can become flat or concave as well.

Until I did some research I did not understand what caused BER. Lack or low level of calcium in the fruit causes blossom end rot. My soil did not have enough calcium as I later learned, but a plant growing to fast, drought conditions, over watering, to much nitrogen may all cause the same problem of not enough calcium in the fruit.

Prevention has been my solution to BER. Preparing your soil, having good drainage, good soil ph around 6.5, Lime or bone meal added to your soil will increase the supply of calcium. Mulching will aid in moisture control, and watering properly will help to prevent this problem from occurring.

Anthracnose and blight – Or as I would rather call it fruit rot; simply stated, this is where rotten spots occur on your fruits at any time and at any stage all the way till harvest. The cause is usually the foliage stays wet for too long without drying out.

A solution that can help is to increase air circulation, which could be done by pruning leaves and branches that are not flowering or fruiting, but exercise care as leaves are important to the plant as the are used in the photosynthesis process. Caging or staking a plant when they are young can also help with air circulation as well as keeping the fruits and branches off of the ground.

Timber rot (Sclerotinia stem rot) – This problem which is usually caused by too much rain or perhaps too much overhead watering, which can cause the growth of this white moldy fungus along the axes of branches or string lines that are tied to hold branches that are staked, these are points that accumulate nutrients, plant refuse, and moisture where this fungus can take hold.

When this problem takes hold solutions can be harsh, like getting rid of infected plants before it can spread to others. Prevention is a better solution, keep water at ground level not over the top of plants, good air circulation as noted above for BER will help to keep thing dry.

Keep in mind that there are over 170 other species of plants and vegetables that can be affected by this fungus, so keep a watchful eye on all of your plants and vegetables. Weed control will also help.

Problems beyond our control are bound to creep in now and then, but if we provide good growing conditions as well giving our tomato plant a great healthy start we can keep many tomato growing problems under control.

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