Having daughters has helped me to realize that things are not actually as simple as I thought they were. For example, there are so many types of shampoo. They have shampoo for brown hair, red hair and blonde hair. (I am still waiting to see some for gray hair!) Shampoo can make your hair more oily or less oily, straighten or curl your hair or make it look fluffier. Silly me, I just wanted one than would make my hair less dirty.
Some things quickly become more difficult than you would expect. Tomato gardening can be like that. When you see these mild-mannered fruits in the store you would never expect there were so many troubles that could plague them. Do not despair though, a little planning and care can help you to avoid most tomato problems.
Select tomato varieties that are disease-resistant. This may be your only chance to control certain diseases.
The letters behind a varietys name tell what diseases it is resistant to: T for tobacco mosaic virus, V for verticillium wilt, F for fusarium wilt and N for nematodes. View a partial list of disease resistant vegetable varieties at https://utextension.tennessee.edu/benton/Documents/DiseaseResistVegHG.pdf.
Tomato spotted wilt virus is spread by thrips. Usually the top of the plant looks stunted or wilted. The young leaves may turn yellow and often have dark discolorations. The veins on the underside of leaves may thicken and turn purple. Fruit can have rings or circles on them. Ripe fruit can have yellow circles or semicircles. The stem may have long brown lesions.
Once tomatoes get the disease, there is no control. Some varieties of tomato are resistant to TSWV, although they may not be completely immune. Resistant varieties include Amelia, Stiletto, Bella Rosa, Top Gun, Crista and Muriel (a Roma-type variety). Some resistant varieties may not be as flavorful as other home garden varieties. Leave tomatoes on the vine until they are fully ripe to improve their flavor.
Later-planted tomatoes may have fewer problems with TSWV. You can plant as late as July 10. Thrips spread TSWV, but spraying for thrips will not control the disease. Destroy infected plants as quickly as possible early in the season to prevent spread. Seal infected plants up in a plastic bag. Even after the plant is pulled up, thrips can leave the plant to spread the virus. Late in the season, you may just want to let infected plants finish ripening the fruit they have.
Do not plant tomatoes where you had tomatoes, Irish potatoes or peppers planted last year. Diseases can over-winter in the soil and attack the tomatoes the next year. If possible, try to plant tomatoes in areas that grew grass or corn last year. Mulch around plants but do not let the mulch touch the base of the plant.
Leaf rolling can be caused by heavy fruit set, wet soils and high light intensity.
Water properly and reduce pruning if possible. The condition is usually harmless.
Tomatoes flowers will not set fruit and blossoms will drop off if temperatures are not right or if the plant is water stressed. Temperatures at night should be 55-75 degrees for best fruit set.
Nighttime temperatures above 90 degrees will especially cause problems. Water twice a week in hot weather (3/4 inch each time) and mulch plants. There is a blossom set chemical you can spray if you can locate it in the garden centers.
Once a plant sets plenty of fruit, the plant will not set more fruit and this can cause blossom drop. Some gardeners maintain that over-fertilization with nitrogen can also lower flower production and fruit set.
Fruit cracking can be related to the variety of tomato grown. It can also be caused by uneven watering or fertilization. Select varieties that are resistant to cracking. Work to keep the water supply even (proper watering and mulching) and fertilize about every 4-5 weeks (more often if using a liquid fertilizer). Be careful not to burn tender roots with dry, granular fertilizers.
The Houston County Extension office is offering a food preservation class June 13 in Perry. To register for the class, download the registration form at http://tinyurl.com/6ohhr9z. Registration deadline is June 6.
Willie Chance retired as the University of Georgia Extension agent for Houston County and is the quality control manager for Unique Landscaping of Warner Robins. Contact him at 929-1997.
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