Tomatoes

Don’t get discouraged. All beginner gardeners have learning hurdles and even experienced gardeners never stop learning! We’re not sure where you live—and we wonder if it’s in a warm place. Here are a few common reasons for soft tomatoes:

1. If tomatoes are soft, usually it’s just overripe and you want to harvest sooner.
 

2. Or, if the temps have gone over 90 degrees and you let them fully ripen on the plant, they can become mushy.

3. Did you overfeed the tomatoes?  This is most likely is a nutrient imbalance, most likely too much nitrogen. Too much fertilizer with nitrogen or not enough potassium can be an issue.  If you buy a fertilizer, be sure to apply a 1:3 nitrogen-to-potassium liquid fertilizer.

We’re not sure why the tomatoes are smaller than you expected. Is it a ripening issue? Temps above 85*F and under 55*F will affect the ripening of tomatoes. If the temp is too low, the tomatoes can freeze overnight, causing them to become mushy as they thaw the next day (this is a sign of decay and means they are not safe to eat).

Did you get enough sun?  Tomatoes need a LOT of sun: 6 to 8 hours a day. Or, if it’s just size, that could be due to lack of moisture. You could also help growth by removing the small tomatoes and the stems and leaves that are offshoots to help channel energy into the rest of the tomatoes.

http://aces.nmsu.edu/ces/yard/2004/110604.html

if you don't see any insects, then it is probably a phosphorus deficiency that is causing the purple tinged leaves. This problem can be fixed by amending your fertilizer accordingly. Good luck!

There are a few things you can do to help your tomato plants.
-pinch them back
-water them more often
-take the plants and lay them on their sides for about 1/3 of the plant. This was in a local article by a master gardener. He claims that 'we' don't plant enough of our tomatoe plants in the ground. You can plant up to 1/2 of the plant into the ground to encourage better root growth. The same can be accomplished by planting the plant on its side and leaving the top 1/3 above the ground.
-increase the amount of sunlight. Lack of sunlight encourages leggy plants, so you'll have to pinch them back to encourage good bushy growth.
-also you should only be watering them in the mornings, watering them later in the day encourages rot and fungus as the plants don't have sufficient time to dry off before dark.

Keep us posted as to what you do and how the plants are doing. ~Nanette

You're plants could be 'wilting' due to lack of water. Once the plants begin to flower it takes more energy to produce flowers and fruit. You'll need to fertilize now and increase the water you give. Tomatoes LOVE water, they are mostly water so you have to give water and fertilizer to get good tomatoes.

Also if they are really 'tall' they may be 'leggy' and need pinching back. Bushy is better than leggy in this case.
Good luck~Nanette

How often do you water? Are there any bugs on or under the leaves? Has it been really hot in your area?

If they are getting enough water, there are no bugs and the weather has not been too hot, then look at how much fertilizer has been used. Has anyone been spraying weed killer in the area? I hope some of this helps.

Hi Last year I used topsy turvy to grow 2 tomatoes and a green pepper on my porch. It was an experiment. I wanted to see which did better, this or the garden.

Well, I have to say my topsy did best. I used a home-made recipe: 1/2 compost, 1/2 light soil mix and some fertilizer. I mixed it all together and then put it in my planters. My tomato plants were over 7 ft long and had mulitple 'vines' I kept pinching and got some tomatoes and pepper from each. Because they were hung on the porch, I had tomatoes and peppers until december until the frost came and eventually killed them off.

Stop fertilizing every time you water. Too much is NOT a good thing. If you mix in a good fertilizer when you pot up, you won't need any more for the growing season.

Good luck~Nanette

keep in mind that if you are feeding your tomatoes miracle gro, then you will be feeding yourself that as well when you eat the tomato.
an excellent fertilizer for anything you grow: get a bag of dehydrated manure, or any form of bagged manure (it isn't gross and doesn't smell) - MOO DOO is a good brand. if you take a couple good handfuls, as big as you can scoop between two hands, put it in a five gallon bucket (for smaller containers, adjust the amount of manure), fill the bucket with water, let it sit for a day or however long to make "tea". use this tea for watering your plants and your plants and your body will be much happier.
you can keep refilling the bucket with water as you use it up without needing to add more manure until the tea looks really weak. then you can add the manure on the bottom of the bucket directly into the soil around your plants and start over.
one of the problems with chemical fertilizers, one of the many problems i should say, is that the plant becomes addicted and therefore dependent on them and can suffer from its use just as people suffer from chemical addictions.
sometimes the chemicals are too much for the plants and they may start out well, but don't do well if they have been fed nothing but that.
i would try switching to the manure tea. if you have ONLY been feeding it miracle gro every time you water, that is definitely too much...you may have to wean it off miracle gro rather than going cold turkey, and introduce the tea into it regularly to help balance out the tomatoes' withdrawals.

Hi Carie, try cutting back on the miracle gro. Your plants don't need it everyday. Too much nitrogen in your fertilizer could be causing lush foliage, but it won't do anything to help fruit set. Heat stress may also be the culprit here. If temps are sweltering, move plants inside for a couple of hours a day, and make sure it's getting plenty of (plain) water!

Just pull off the lower leaves. They are dying and that's okay. As a rule of thumb I don't keep any leaves that touch the ground. Keeping these brown leaves on the plant encourages disease.
~Nanette

I tie plastic bags to the tomato stakes and wind flops them around. Great scare crow.

We hang aluminum pie plates near the plants so that that can blow in the breeze, clang together etc.... keeps the birds at bay for us! Good luck!

Tammy, I think we are in the same boat when it comes to raising tomatoes. I think I am going to take a chance on setting them out earlier next year, even before the last frost. We don't have much of a Spring here in the part of Texas I am in. Winter to Summer and that's about it. I heard and it's only hear-say, that if it stays above 72 degrees at night, the blossums would drop. I hope someone comes aboard and tells us what could be wrong with our Tomatoes.

I'm using Tomato & Peper Set on my tomato's and they are doing good, I've also heared that sugar water doe's well I don't know for sure.

Hi Edith, it sounds like it may be too hot in southeast Texas! Once tomatoes begin to turn pink, bring them indoors to finish ripening (it sounds like you've already been doing this). The plant cannot carry out its normal functions in excessive heat. The bugs you described sound like aphids. See tips here: http://www.almanac.com/content/aphids

Hi rcain, it sounds like you are taking good care of your tomatoes, but here are a few more tips to try: Add 2-4 inches of mulch around your plants. This will help provide uniform moisture throughout. Also, make sure you aren't over pruning. While 'Celebrity' is semi- crack resistant, next year, go for varieties that are crack resistant such as 'Avalanche' or 'Show Me'.

Hi Jim, Here are some tips to encourage tomatoes: Make sure you water adequately. The plant needs enough moisture to produce the fruit--which is mostly water itself! Make sure your plant is getting 6 hours of direct sunlight per day, but don't expose it to high temperatures for long periods. You may have over-fertilized with nitrogen. Nitrogen causes foliage growth, but does little to encourage fruit set. You can try pruning off a few of the leaves. Finally, make sure you have a variety that is adapted to your Zone. Good luck, Jim!

I have a book that says take eggs shells (cleaned)break up and put into soil around tomatoes. Another suggestion was to put eggshells in a water bottle or can and let set overnight and then use water on certain plants. I've tried the egg shells in the soil when planting. But not sure if helps yet; will see.

Espoma Organic Traditions Soil Acidifier
http://www.espoma.com/p_consumer/org_trad_overview.html
It is carried at Home Depot, Lowes, etc.

Crushed up egg shells in the planting holes (approx. 2 tbls.) is good for blossom end rot, which is caused by lack of calcium.

I'm not sure about the raw egg, but Thymey's right about the fish.
The Native American tribes thought it was a great idea to bury fish with their corn seeds; they thought it helped grow healthier plants. Fish is a great fertilizer, and it probably works for tomato plants, too.

I would think that it would be beneficial if your soil is in need of nitrates and calcium; like adding a whole fish under a three sister's plot?