My tomatoes did pretty well this year. I had a decent crop, although production has tailed off a bit. I think I just didn’t water them enough through that dry stretch this summer, which seemed to stop flower production. Without flowers they don’t seem to produce as much fruit.
But best of all, I didn’t seem to have as many issues with bottom rot.
Last year seemed to be really bad. Tomatoes would grow and look really good. But as soon as they started to turn red, many of the bottom would turn black and start to rot. It isn’t an uncommon problem, but there seem to be a few things that can contribute to it.
Soil pH can be an issue, and since I have pine trees nearby, my soil tends to be a bit acidic. So I guess I need to get some lime on there.
Another thing they bring up is it could be caused by a calcium imbalance in the soil. Some people say you should put egg shells in the holes when you plant. Others say you can use Tums. Just drop a tablet in the hole with the plant. Then there are still others who say neither one of those things actually, although the Tums could stop the tomatoes from getting heartburn.
Then I have seen recommendations for different fertilizer. Using one with more phosphorous and less nitrogen. There are even some specially designed to combat bottom rot, although I have no idea if any of them work.
And I have also seen people blame the weather. Damp weather followed by dry could be a cause. I’m still working on controlling the weather, so I may stick to the Tums and the fertilizer.
I haven’t tried all of these things yet, and it wasn’t a huge problem this year. But trying to figure out what to do gets pretty confusing at times.
Maybe I should just stick to buying them.
