Tomato Problems

When you grow tomatoes in your backyard garden, many tomato problems can occur. Hopefully, this article will help you to understand what to look for and/or prevent from happening.

Tomato Problems - 4/29-5/5/2024

Monday, April 29, 2024

There is thick fog this morning because it is so humid. Note the moon above the back deck.

It poured yesterday so it is super humid today which created the fog this morning. This is my greenhouse which still has not been fixed from the hail.

Good Monday morning! It is foggy and 73°. I just cannot believe the fog in the middle of a hot and humid summer already. It should get up to 92° today. Soon it will be too hot for anything to grow but okra and zinnias.

This is the last week for our teen full time helper. She is leaving us to go on a long trip which means we will have to step up and do even more orders and stuffing than ever before...We will have a going away party for her on Thursday.

I pulled and mailed out all of my orders that I printed this morning. My back pain from yesterday's trip in the goat pen got worse and worse. Around 2pm, I had to go in the house and lie down.

Matthew reports that the bunny who just had her babies and all but one died is not true. She has three babies that are alive. That means she gave birth to seven! Wow. The other pregnant rabbit still has not delivered so she may not be pregnant at all.

Tomato Problems

Some seedlings grown with our fresh tomato seeds. Avoid a lot of tomato problems by using our fresh tomato seeds, packed here on our farm.

Growing tomatoes from seed can offset many challenges that a beginner gardener might usually face. If done rightly, you can raise versatile, disease-resistant varieties. Despite this, several problems can still emerge that might hinder your progress. Not to worry, though - we're about to break these down so that you're well-equipped to handle them.

Let's start with one of the most common issues, poor germination of seeds. This issue could be due to seeds being old, or improperly stored. Make sure to buy fresh garden seeds from a reputable company like David's Garden Seeds and always store your seeds in a cool, dry place to ensure they will sprout.

The second most common issue deals with "damping-off," a fungal disease that causes seedlings to collapse and die. This problem is often caused by over-watering or seeds being sown too close together. Always allow enough space for your seedlings and avoid excessive watering.

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Good Tuesday morning. It feels cool and less humid outside. Right now, my back pain is gone but it will probably come back after sitting in the same position for a while. It is overcast and the weatherman says there is a 51% chance of rain today.

I finally got to pet my new goats today. One of our team members just went in and grabbed them by the horns. Who knew? So now I know how. He had goats so he knew just what to do. We put collars on them. Their new feeders came today so we have to put them up.

The tour began at the gazebo and went toward the back. Here you can see our new ramp that still has not been used.

At 1:15pm, a caravan of vehicles turned in to our parking lot. The Bexar County Master Gardeners came for a visit. David gave them a tour despite the 89° heat and the65% humidity. There is a breeze so that helped. Many of them bought some seeds, rabbit poo, and eggs. By 2:35pm, they were all gone. I snapped a few photos of them on the tour.

Some of the gardeners went rogue and left the group. Matt came and got them from me and took them back. In the meantime, a customer came who was not in the group.

The gardeners are inspecting some of our raised beds up by the carport.

So many people come in to the store complaining because we don't get enough rain so their gardens die...just water it!

Again today, I had a customer who talked about not watering his plants. He felt that the rain should take care of the garden and in the past few years, we have had very little rain so he has had very little produce. I do not understand why people plant a garden and then refuse to water it. People, if you do not water your garden and there is very little rain, your garden will die. Plants must have water in order to live and produce food. You live in Texas so water your garden!

Tomato Problems

These plants have a new purple grow light on them. Grow lights are a necessity when starting new plants indoors.

An insufficiency of light can lead to leggy tomato seedlings, where plants grow tall, skinny, and weak. To avoid these tomato problems, ensure your seedlings get 14-16 hours of sunlight each day. If sunlight is limited, consider getting a grow light. Do not try to grow seeds in a window. There just isn't enough light.

Seedlings turning yellow is another common sight while growing tomatoes from seed, which could be due to a nutrient deficiency. Balanced fertilizers or nutrient-rich compost can rectify the situation.

Tomato plants could also suffer from blossom end rot, where the bottom of the tomato becomes discolored and sunken. This disease is caused by a calcium deficiency and can be solved by applying lime to the soil or sprays that contain calcium.

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Good Wednesday morning. Happy May Day! I just pulled a delicious egg casserole out of the oven. It has cheese, salsa, and mushrooms. It looks great and it tastes really good, nice and fluffy!

Ethel's eyes are looking much better after I put some dog eye drops in them yesterday. There is no more discharge.

Yesterday, some roofers started replacing the roof on the church that we are no longer going to. One of the crew came here to have us unlock it so they could have electricity. The people they should see were not at home so they were told to come here. They almost finished and they should finish the project today. David had to go down this morning at 7am and unlock it for them again.

We have a 40% chance of rain. It looks like it will rain every day now but usually it does not.

At 9:45am the roofers called and said they will not be working on the roof today because it is sprinkling. So Matt had to go lock the church. I wonder if they will finish before the big cemetery meeting on Saturday. The place looks horrible right now as some of the finishing wood was taken down to be replaced.

The housekeeper could not make it yesterday and I have not heard from her today so I had to vacuum the couch in my office as it was filled with dog hairs. Then I did the kitchen and den. I was dripping wet at the end. Now I am filling orders once again. I need to clean the whole house but it is already 10am and I have to work...

The window coverings are all dusty in the den and living room. The den was worse. I pulled them down and washed and dried them. I needed Matt's help as I am too short to reach them. Thank God for a good son. I then vacuumed the living room and moved some furniture around. Even though I am paying for cleaning, things are just not getting cleaned. I should probably start working less and clean more, like I did today. I have to go hang the living room curtains back up now. There have not been too many orders and zero customers today. It is 2:43pm, overcast and 84°.

We just found out that a former pastor was injured while cutting tree limbs yesterday and was airlifted to San Antonio in critical condition. A family member said he is still in ICU but doing better.

At 5:30pm, I went out to see the goats. As I approached the pen, I could not see them. Then I saw an open door. Someone had left the gate open and they got out. I began searching for them. I called out to Matt who was in with the chickens. He came out and we started to comb our acreage. Matt shouted that he had them. He found them lying down in David's plant area by the greenhouse. David heard us and came on in. It took all three of us to corral the pregnant goat. David finally got her and I headed back to the pen with her. Amazingly, the younger one followed.

We finally got them back inside and I noticed some goop coming out of the pregnant one.

And Then There Were Three!

Shortly after the baby was born, she was walking around so cutely!

About 90 minutes later, we went out to check on them. There was a third goat. She had the baby in less than 90 minutes! It was healthy and walking around. Then the mother started licking on it again. It was getting dark so we got a bunch of fresh hay and put it in there and went back inside. We will have to wait until tomorrow to see if it is a boy or a girl. We did not want to disturb it.

It turns out that one of our employees put a game camera up in there and left the gate open. I am so glad we found them before it got dark and she had her baby.

Tomato Problems

Tomato problems include horrible tomato hornworms, bugs that eat your plants. Kill them as soon as you see them. Check your tomato plants often.

Pests are another significant issue to look out for. Tomato hornworms and cutworms are notorious for feeding on tomato plants. To deter these pests, consider using organic pest control sprays or introducing their natural predators, like birds, into your garden. When you find them on your tomato plants, you must remove them and kill them.

You might also notice that your tomatoes are developing cracks. Fluctuating water levels often cause this problem, so try to water your tomato plants consistently and avoid heavy watering after a dry spell.

Similar to cracks, blossom drop is another issue caused by environmental stress such as extreme temperatures. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do about the weather, but you can select varieties known for their heat tolerance.

Thursday, May 2, 2024

The heavy peaches broke some of the limbs off of this peach tree.

This peach tree is much smaller so it did not have tons of peaches on it.

Well, we have one peach tree that is so loaded down that the branches are breaking. Every time we try some, they are hard. We have to pick them this morning. David wants to sell them. I hope we get a few to put up and eat. I planted the orchard for us but he wants to sell everything. The trouble is that every time we have something harvested, no one comes to buy it. Then when it is gone or spoiled, they ask for fresh fruit and vegetables. We have not had many out here the entire month of April.

Bees were buzzing all over the sugar snap peas when I picked them this morning.

David actually had me harvesting the sugar snap peas at 7:30am and then I started picking peaches.

I held the baby goat this morning. I think I will call her Pixie.

The baby goat made it through the night. Matt brought some Betadine and I put some on the cord which was dried out this morning. We think it is a girl as we don't see any boy parts but someone told us it can take up to two weeks for it to come out...

At 10am, I went in to get changed as we took the team to Triple C in Devine for a goodbye luncheon for Arianna who is leaving us tomorrow. As I was getting ready, all of the lights went off. We still don't know why. After a few hours, David got a notice from the electric company that it was back on. We had a good luncheon and got back just in time to give the outgoing orders to our mailman.

Tomato Problems

Talk about tomato problems! This poor tomato has fungus all over it. This means you are not watching your plants. Don't let it get this far.

Septoria leaf spot is a type of tomato disease caused by a fungus. It starts as circular spots on the lower leaves and spreads upwards, eventually causing the leaves to drop off. Fungicides can help control the disease.

Late blight is another fungal disease that affects tomato plants. It results in large, irregular or circular dark spots on leaves. Fungicides and proper plant maintenance can prevent this disease.

Another common issue is early blight, where you'll observe dark spots on older leaves lower on the stem. Good genomic hygiene, including crop rotation and avoiding overhead watering, can mitigate this problem.

Verticillium and fusarium wilt are soil-borne diseases that can cause tomato plants to wilt and die. Rotating your crops and choosing resistant varieties can help control these diseases.

Whiteflies are tiny insects that suck sap from tomato plants, causing them to wilt and die. Insecticidal soaps and natural predators, like ladybugs, can combat this pest.

Friday, May 3, 2024

Good Friday morning! It is extremely humid out there and 75°. The weather calls for extreme wind starting at 1pm. Sounds like a fun day...

Here is a wise saying:

Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.” Ecclesiastes 5:2

How many times would we stay out of trouble or stay out of an argument if we would just keep quiet? For me it would be a lot of times...

It's a boy.

I read online how to tell if the baby goat is a boy or a girl. It's a boy. I am disappointed but he is so cute. We will have to wether him to keep him.

We said goodbye to our full time temporary helper today. She is traveling out of state for the next few months. She has been a good helper to us and we will definitely miss her on Monday.

I found a few more peaches on a tree near the goats. I picked a few and they are bigger than the peaches we picked on Thursday but the tree is not as big.

David made some pork ribs this evening and they were so tender and good. I also made corn on the cob from the store. Speaking of corn, ours is looking pretty good.

Tomato Problems

These leafhoppers were found on my peanut plants. They look like grasshopper ghosts and suck the leaves dry, killing the plant.

Spider mites can cause yellow, speckled leaves and if uncontrolled, can kill the plant. Insecticidal soap and other organic controls can effectively handle these pests.

Wilting could also be a result of root-knot nematodes, tiny worms that infect tomato roots. Using green manure or rotating crops with nematode-resistant plants can control this problem.

Leafminers, insects that lay eggs in the leaf tissues of plants, causing a trail or blotch on tomato leaves, are another pest to watch out for. Neem oil can act as an effective repellent.

Irregular watering can lead to issues like splitting or cracking of the fruit skin as well as blossom-end rot. Regular, even watering is key to preventing these issues.

Underwatering your tomato plant could lead to wilting. Although it can recover once watered, persistent underwatering might permanently damage the plant.

Saturday, May 4, 2024

Good morning. No rain overnight. It is not supposed to rain today but it is overcast as usual. It is 73° at 7:30am. I have to go tend to the animals.

We ended up with no customers until the end of the store day. A lady came in for an aloe plant and some asparagus and peaches. That was it. I spent most of the day cutting up peaches and strawberries and cutting stems off of the mulberries so I could make pie for Matt. He picked mulberries and wanted a pie. It came out good. We went grocery shopping at 2:30pm. Svengoolie was a replay so we watched more of Gotham and finally finished season one. It is really good but that was a very long and violent season.

Tomato Problems

Usually, the tomato problems occur once you get the plant in the ground. Space them apart for minimal problems.

Not all problems stem from pests and diseases. Nutrient imbalance can cause various issues like yellow leaves, slow fruit growth, and general weakness in the plant. A balanced fertilizer can save the day here.

You might find hollow, tan or white patches on your ripening tomatoes – this is Sunscald. It happens when fruits are exposed to direct sunlight for too long. Make sure plants have enough leaf cover to protect the fruits.

Tiny black spots spaced evenly along the ripening fruit skin are a sign of Anthracnose, a fungal pathogen. Remove affected fruits, and apply fungicides if needed.

Tomato Mosaic virus results in mottled leaves and discolored fruits. Unfortunately, infected plants must be removed, and tools thoroughly sanitized to prevent the spread.

Watch out for Bacterial wilt as well that results in sudden wilting and collapse of the plant. Practicing crop rotation and choosing resistant varieties can control this issue.

Sunday, May 5, 2024

As I went over to the store to feed the fish, the sun was peaking through the clouds. It rained and then got really hot and humid in the afternoon.

Good morning. The air feels cooler. I think it rained in the night as everything is wet. The sun is peaking through the clouds.

We left for a church in another town and by the time we arrived, it was sprinkling. Then there was thunder and lightning while we were in service and it started raining at a pretty good pace.

Tomato Problems

Once the dome comes off of seedlings, tomato problems can come.

Environmental factors could also present problems. Hot, dry winds can cause plants to wilt and drop their flowers. A windbreak or physical barrier can help protect the plants.

Finally, overcrowding can also lead to diseases due to poor air circulation and competition for resources. Some distance between plants is vital for their health, and to prevent diseases from spreading.

Now that you're aware of the problems that might arise while growing tomatoes from seed, remember, the key lies in prevention and early detection. Regularly inspect your plants, provide them with a suitable growing environment, and don't be disheartened if you encounter a few bumps on the way - after all, gardening is a journey, it brings not just tomatoes, but valuable lessons as well! Happy gardening!

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