It’s late summer, time to enjoy the fruits of our labor – at least when it comes to homegrown tomatoes! However, nothing is more frustrating after so much effort than seeing misshapen or rotten fruits on the vines.
Truthfully, everything from pests and diseases to the weather, the tomato variety and how you garden can cause problems with homegrown tomatoes. Yet, there are three basic steps for growing healthy, perfect tomatoes.
One. Supply and conserve water. Tomato plants need 1 to 1 and a half inches of water a week. Often the problem is not the amount of water, but sudden changes in soil-moisture levels. This translates to not drying out the soil and then suddenly watering. Try mulching plants with a 4 to 6-inch layer of organic compost in order to conserve moisture and prevent a dry-wet soil differential.
Keep plants warm. No, there’s no need for a blanket, but plants need to be warm. This means not planting too early in the spring when temperatures are still cold. This also means protecting plants from blistering weather later in the summer. During our really hot weather, consider providing temporary shade over plants.
Feed carefully and avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers. Once plants are growing, feed with a complete fertilizer, such as 5-10-10 rather than high-nitrogen types like 20-5-5. Remember, the first number on fertilizer packages constitutes nitrogen.
Some avoidable tomato problems include: fruit rotting at the end, fruit cracking, sunscald and yellowing or curling leaves.
Blossom-end rot and fruit cracking are two problems caused by fluctuating moisture levels. That’s why it’s important to mulch, and to water regularly. Once rotten fruits start to appear, all you can do is pick and destroy fruits, and try to get onto a regular watering schedule to avoid alternating wet and dry soil.
Sunscald is similar to a sunburn. Fruits are exposed to continually hot sun, which is most likely to occur on varieties that don’t produce enough leaves. Consider shading plants, and also avoid pruning leaves and stems when fruit is ripening.
Yellowing leaves on tomato plants can be caused by overwatering, lack of nitrogen or transplant shock. Tomatoes need nitrogen at the start of their growing for green healthy leaves, but a balanced fertilizer later in the season. Tomatoes are also moisture sensitive, and need a regular supply of water to thrive and produce fruit.
Finally, curling leaves can be caused if the soil is kept too wet, or intensive sunlight causes carbohydrates to accumulate in the leaves. Odd-shaped tomatoes are usually associated with pollination problems. Dry conditions and very hot weather contribute to pollination problems.
