AVOID THESE TOMATO GROWING PROBLEMS

One of the most popular vegetables around the world is tomatoes. They are used in a myriad of dishes and salads. Many people have found that growing their own tomatoes greatly increases their ease in using tomatoes and confidence that they are getting a quality vegetable. Although, to keep from having too many tomatoes at one time some gardeners stagger their planting times or grow varieties that ripen at different times in order to be able to harvest ripe tomatoes through out their growing season.

Many problems associated with your tomato garden can easily be avoided by simple maintenance of your garden. Following are a few common problems and the ways to avoid them.

The most common problem is phosphorus deficiency. Our soil is loaded with phosphorus, but if you plant too early the coolness of the ground won’t allow the phosphorus to properly get to your plants. If you’ve already planted your tomatoes, using plastic mulch can aid in warming up the ground.

Another problem can be caused by stink bugs. Stink bugs will cause spots and internal damage by their feeding. Control weeds around the garden, as these bugs can over-winter and attack your next season garden as well.

Blossom end rot occurs from a combination of cold temperatures or excessive heat during the blossoming, as well as fluctuations in water supply. When these two things occur, calcium becomes unavailable causing a calcium deficiency. Fertilizing and watering properly can avoid this problem.

Root rot is another common problem. The cause of root rot is a fungus that grows as a result of over-watering the tomato plant. Management of root rot requires soil improvement, proper watering and rotation of your tomatoes. Do not grow tomatoes in the same spot for more than three years to avoid root rot.

All of these common tomato growing problems can be easily avoided by just following proper maintenance practices, watering at the proper time and not trying to rush your tomatoes by planting to early in the spring.