Dan said:

Hello All,

My tomatoes may be having a problem with something that looks similar to
blossom end rot. On the blossom end, even when the tomato is small, the skin
turns a brownish color, but never rots. The tomato stays firm. I'm not sure
what the tomatoes looks like inside since they're not ripe yet. This has
happened on about 50% of the tomatoes on one plant and one or two on another
plant.

Blossom end 'rot' isn't always a soft rot. And while it is symptomatic of a problem
with calcium metabolism in the fruit, it usually occurs as a result of water stress.
(Sometimes, despite watering and mulching, some plants get water-stressed --
in my garden mole tunneling cac sometimes can be blamed for that.)

These tomatoes might ripen normally, with a small bit at the bottom to discard.
But some of them might develop a small bit of black rot inside when they ripen.
I always check my plum tomatoes very carefully when processing them for
sauce. Even the smalled brown or silvery spot at the end might conceal more
damage inside. A little trim with a knife determines if they are usable or not.



--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)