By Jodie Perry
One of the most satisfying feelings of home gardening is to harvest a bumper crop of beautiful tomatoes at the end of the season. Tomatoes are one of the most popular plants grown by home gardeners because they are relatively easy to grow and they produce a fruit that has many delicious uses!
To get tomatoes that look like those above at the end of the season, you have to avoid some common problems with growing tomatoes. We’re calling these the 7 deadly sins because they are what are known as “cultural” problems with tomatoes. That means you, the gardener, are letting them happen.
Following are the 7 sins and how you can easily avoid them this season.
Sin #1 – Blossom-end Rot
Blossom-end rot is a dark patch on the blossom-end of the fruit that turns black and leathery over time. The cause is a calcium deficiency in the tomato. Tomatoes become calcium deficient when the weather is too cold or too hot and the water supply is inconsistent. Heavy application of nitrogen fertilizer can also play a role.
How to Avoid It
To avoid blossom-end rot, plant your tomatoes at the appropriate time, not too early in the season. Water and fertilize them evenly and consider using mulch, which will hold water and even out the water supply to the plant. Also, don’t cultivate within one foot of the plant base to avoid root injury.
Sin #2 – Phosphorous Deficiency
There is plenty of phosphorous in the soil, but it isn’t available to the tomato plant at cool temperatures, and the lack of phosphorous can kill the plant.
How to Avoid It
Don’t plant your tomatoes too early. What that means exactly will depend on your climate, but the soil needs to be warm when you plant your tomatoes. You can also use mulch to warm the soil around your plants.
Sin #3 – Catfacing
Catfacing refers to holes and scars in the blossom end of the fruit that basically make for an ugly tomato that is often unusable. Larger tomato varieties are more susceptible than smaller ones. The cause isn’t entirely known, but it is thought to be some disturbance of the flowers or flower buds during their development. Cold weather during blossoming, high nitrogen levels and contact with certain herbicides might be to blame.
How to Avoid It
Don’t plant your tomatoes too early in the season and expose them to cold weather. (Are you noticing a theme here?) Also, certain varieties of tomato are more prone to catfacing than others and if you have this problem you should choose another variety that is less susceptible.
Sin #4 – Growth Cracks
This is just what it sounds like, cracks that run from the stem end and can encircle the whole fruit. The cracks are often invaded by bacteria and fungi once they appear, which ruins the fruit. Growth cracks are the result of very rapid growth of the fruit brought on by environmental conditions like when water becomes abundant after a drought.
How to Avoid It
Again, even and consistent watering practices will help with growth cracks. Mulch will also keep moisture more consistent. Some varieties of tomato are more prone to growth cracks so choosing the right variety also helps.
Sin #5 – Sunscald
As the name implies, sunscald is a discoloration of the fruit that occurs when it is exposed to too much sun. It is a white or pale yellow spot on the fruit where the sun hits it most directly. Heavy pruning can make a plant susceptible to sunscald.
How to Avoid It
Shade the plant, reducing exposure to the sun. The same way you’d treat a human with the same condition.
Sin #6 – Herbicide Injury
Tomato plants are easily injured by hormone-type weed control herbicides. These are the type of herbicides that you might spray on your yard for controlling dandelions and clover in your lawn. It’s easy to expose tomatoes if these herbicides are used, it could be through drift from spray, using a sprayer that had the herbicide in it previously or even by using grass clippings as mulch for the tomatoes.
Depending on the severity of exposure, there can be a range of symptoms on the leaves and the fruit may become catfaced or otherwise irregularly shaped. Plants with minimal exposure might recover or harvest might be delayed, but severely exposed plants do not recover at all.
How to Avoid It
Keep herbicides away from your tomato plants. I’m a big believer in organic methods and would never use chemical herbicides on anything, even the lawn, so this would never be an issue for my garden. However, if you’re using them be meticulously careful not to get them on your tomatoes.
Sin #7 – Soil Rot
There are a few different types of fungi that can form in your soil and can infect your tomatoes when they come in contact with the soil. You’ll usually find soil rot in conditions that are favorable for the growth of fungus generally, meaning warm, moist environments.
If your soil is poorly drained and overly moist, then your tomatoes are at risk. Soil rot typically affects ripe fruit but it can sometimes afflict your green tomatoes as well.
How to Avoid It
In short, don’t let your tomatoes touch the soil. Make sure the tomatoes aren’t over-watered and that the soil is properly drained. An easy fix is to stake your tomatoes to minimize contact with the soil.
However, that isn’t a complete fix because soil can splash up onto your tomatoes. Mulching with a plastic film or (preferably) organic matter will also help to keep the soil out of contact with your tomatoes. You should also rotate where you plant your tomatoes, planting in the same spot only once every three years.
Bonus – Stink Bugs
This one is not your fault, stink bugs are just really bad in certain years. They are big, shield-shaped bugs that release a foul odor if you handle them. They will spend the winter in tall grass so keep the weeds down near your garden. They will damage the fruit when it’s green and as the fruit develops there will be cavities or spongy areas of the flesh, ruining the fruit.
Organic Pro Tip:
In addition to controlling weeds around the garden, you can also use an organic spray to repel or kill the stink bugs. Cedar oil is an effective repellent and it also kills stink bugs without causing them to release their offensive odor.
Choose Disease-Resistant Tomatoes
Another common theme of good tomato-growing practice is to choose the right tomatoes to grow in the first place. If you’d like a chart that details the most disease resistant tomato varieties to help you make the right choice, click here and we’ll email it to you.
Hopefully this list will help you avoid these problems in the coming season and you’ll harvest bushels of beautiful tomatoes as a result!
Sources:
Damicone, J.P. & Brandenberger, L., Common Diseases of Tomatoes, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service – http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-1323/EPP-7625web.pdf
Grabowski, M., Disorders of Tomato, University of Minnesota Extension – http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/vegetables/disorders-of-tomato/
Kluepfel, M., Blake, J.H. & Keinath, A.P., Tomato Diseases and Disorders, Clemson Cooperative Extension – http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/pests/plant_pests/veg_fruit/hgic2217.html
Flickr Creative Commons photo credits (photos link to source)
Liz West, Scot Nelson, Prizmatic, Gary Stevens, Scot Nelson, born1945
Author Bio:
Jodie Perry is a natural health enthusiast and co-founder of the Organic Daily Post.
The post The 7 Deadly Sins of Tomato-Growing & How to Avoid Them appeared first on Gardening Channel.
