View Single Post
  #9   Report Post  
Old 24-08-2018, 10:21 PM posted to rec.gardens.edible
T[_4_] T[_4_] is offline
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jan 2015
Posts: 1,112
Default What is wrong with my roma's?

On 08/17/2018 11:00 AM, T wrote:
Hi All,

On a lark, I decided to try growing Roma Tomatoes.Â* (I am very
successful with cherries, but never big tomatoes.)

Well, I got lots of green Roma's , which is a good sign.Â* But
when they ripen, the ends turn brown.

https://ibb.co/kWZW0z

What the heck?

-T



Followup: Blossom Rot.

Spoke with the local university extension and got
a real education on large tomatoes.

First off, everything Songbird said was dead nuts accurate.

She told me that Blossom Rot is caused mainly by two things
in our parts: 1) lack of calcium (not an issue as my
muni water is full of calcium), and 2) missing a watering.

To add, to what Songbird said, I found out the
rest of the mistakes I was making.

My growing spaces for tomatoes is basically a football shaped
ellipse that is about six feet across and 12 feet long. I
have been amending the soil for years.

My mistake. Large tomatoes require a lot of space for
their roots. Roots can be up to eight feet long and as
deep. So, you basically need a six foot down and six
foot across area to grow them.

My ellipse is only amended down to about 1-1/2 foot. At
about two feet, my ellipse might as well be sitting on
cinder blocks.

Large tomatoes require "deep watering".

The indent I made when I planted the Romas, too keep
water from running off, turned into a dome when the plants
grew, so water ran off rather and ponding.

1) you don't want a Pot of water, you want a soaking of
the area six by six.

2) spot water works for zukes but not large tomatoes.

Why cherries worked, she did not know.

So poop! Large tomatoes are out, as I do not have the
energy or funding to amend such a spot for them to grow.
I would need a back hoe!

Is okay, at least I know now why I can't grow a large
tomato. And why all my other attempts had blossom rot
on their ends as well.

She also told me that I have to "Hot" compose. Just burying
vegi scraps only works marginally.

And also told me that the local compost dealer's stuff did
not work as it was very "inconsistent". I had stopped
using it years ago as it was worthless. No one else seemed
to have this experience. I am glad she removed the veil.

Always learning!

Thank you all for the help is getting me to this point!

-T

Cherry tomatoes it is! I am awash in them. :-)