Trouble with tomatoes ............................. Carol Ann Harlos

Trouble with tomatoes

Common problems and solutions

Much of what I share with readers are gardening joys, but much of what my readers share with me are questions and concerns. This time of year, most questions involve tomatoes, the most common crop of the backyard vegetable grower. So, dear reader, let me help prepare both you and your garden for a satisfying season.

Problem: Blossom end rot

How to spot it: A water-soaked spot appears at the blossom end of the fruit (hence the name), then gets bigger, darkens, and becomes leathery looking. Although this can happen at any stage of development, it usually occurs when fruit is about one-quarter to one-half developed.

Cause: Eager gardeners! When I was a child, many planted warm season vegetables—like tomatoes— near Memorial Day. This worked well, as the soil was usually warm. Today, overenthusiastic growers plant in midMay. If plants are put into cold ground, they don’t grow.

A note: You may have heard the defense “the plants need calcium.” While it’s true they do, it’s not common for soil to be calcium deficient. While some nutrients enter roots due to higher concentration of that element in the soil, calcium is different; when warm air causes water to be pulled up through leaves, it pulls calcium up with it. (I know some apply calcium anyway and believe it works, but this is because the soil has warmed up and is able to take the calcium it needs. The uptake would have happened anyway.) Solution: The fruit is still edible; simply cut away the end rot. (This is so unappealing that many discard the tomato.) Problem: Early blight How to spot it: Look for bullseye pattern leaf spots. Early blight usually appears on older leaves and can affect members of the same family as tomatoes including potatoes, eggplant, and peppers. Although early blight seldom kills plants, it lowers fruit production. Cause: Alternaria solani (a fungal pathogen) Solution: Avoid crop rotation, or planting tomatoes (or any vegetable) in the same place year after year. Leave space between the plants for optimal air circulation. Stake or cage your tomato plants. Lastly, practice good sanitation when removing leaves so you don’t spread the disease.

Problem: Late blight

How to spot it: Sudden death of all tomato plants

Cause: Phytophtera infestan (the scientific name alone is frightening!)

Solution: Destroy them! Do not put the plants in your compost bin. Late blight survives in living tissue, so potatoes and other tomato relatives can be affected. Potatoes from diseased plants should not be overwintered either, as they become repositories for the blight. (Late blight was responsible for the Irish Potato Famine.) Plant tomatoes resistant to late blight, such as Defiant PHR F1, Matt’s Wild Cherry, Mountain Magic F1, and Plum Regal.

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Problem: Septisporea, or leaf spot

How to spot it: Yellowing, dead lower leaves

Cause: Weather

Solution: Remove the affected leaves. Practice good hygiene so you don’t spread it further!

Problems: Cracks in fruit, yellow curled leaves, few flowers (little fruit)

Cause: Night temperatures over seventy degrees or below fifty degrees Fahrenheit cause flowers to drop off. Day temperatures over eighty-five degrees cause fruit production to cease. Peppers and other members of the same plant family will experience similar problems.

Wasn’t this fun? You now understand serious weather consequences for those whose livelihood is so dependent on it. Remember: we are part of nature, not outside it trying to control all aspects of it.

Stay tuned for next month’s column, in which I will address common plant problems. I wish you a wonderful gardening season.

I love hearing from you: caharlos@ verizon.net FY

Carol Ann Harlos is an awardwinning retired math and science teacher, Master Gardener, beekeeper, writer, and speaker. She tends extensive gardens, including herbs, and loves learning from others and sharing her knowledge.