If there are spots that develop and darken at the blossom end of the fruit when they are about ˝ size or smaller, they are most likely due to blossom end rot (BER). A common malady in tomatoes, it also affects squash, peppers and melons. The spot may enlarge or remain small, but as the fruits develop, the spots become black and leathery. The tomatoes remain edible if the darkened areas are removed, but there are certain steps to take to avoid the continuation of BER. To begin with, It is not a disease or the result of an insect infestation, but rather due to fluctuations in watering (wet-to-dry or dry-to-wet) or rapid vegetative growth caused by excessive chemical fertilizers reducing the uptake and movement of calcium into the plant. Plant your tomatoes in amended, excellent draining soil and apply at least 2 inches of mulch to help maintain moisture and avoid drought stress. Make sure there is plenty of organic matter in the soil including a product rich in humic acid such as Denali Gold, feed with an organic, rather than chemical granular fertilizer like John & Bob’s Biosol and spray with a compost tea. There are also calcium supplements specifically designated for BER if needed. But once there is a more organic approach to fertilization, mulching and maintaining even levels of moisture, BER should not be a problem.
Beware of green caterpillars creeping and crawling under the foliar canopies of tomatoes and other solanaceous plants such as eggplant, peppers and potatoes. They are known as tomato hornworms and are the larvae of a huge moth known as a sphinx, hawk or hummingbird moth. With wingspans of 4 to 5 inches, this giant among moths deposits its eggs on the lower and upper surface of leaves in late spring. Its eggs hatch in 6 to 8 days, reach full maturity in 3 to 4 weeks and grow up to be 4 inches long with eight, v-shaped markings on their sides and ugly black horns on their rears. Once fully grown, the larvae drop off the plants and burrow into the soil to pupate. Unless controlled, larvae destroy the tomato leaves as well as the fruit. Examine plants often from July to August and pick and squish them. Other controls include purchasing parasitic wasps from an insectory, tilling the soil after harvest to destroy the burrowing larvae and spraying the plants with an organic remedy such as Natria Insect, Disease & Mite Control or Spinosad. Watch out for the ugly and the “bugly” to keep the vegetable garden healthy and productive.
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