Last summer, my small garden overwhelmed us with tomatoes, and almost every one was perfect. This year? Not so much. All but a few tomatoes I have picked this year have had black-end rot where the blossom end of the tomato turns black and leathery.
According to the Garden Gnomes, this is caused by a lack of calcium, but in my case, it’s not a lack of calcium in the soil, it’s a lack of water that hinders the plants’ abilities to absorb calcium. It’s also possible that I added too much nitrogen and potassium to the soil, which can outcompete calcium and prevent its uptake, but I think it’s the lack of water.
Nancy has an above ground garden and she waters – has to water – or the plants quickly die. Her tomatoes have been (except one) perfect. They look like pictures of tomatoes in a seed catalogue, but they have been unusually firm. The few tomatoes I have picked have been softer and absolutely delicious.
The cure, of course, is to water frequently, and I have not done this. With the drought and all, I feel guilty about watering, hoping that Mother Nature will bail me out. So far, she hasn’t and I guess I will be plagued with black-end rot until we get more water.
In the meantime, we’re giving away tomatoes from Nancy’s garden, so I guess I can’t complain.
