Released June 5, 2009
SEARCY, Ark. - Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable grown in Arkansas gardens, mainly because they're easy to grow, nutritious and downright tasty!
"A few tomato plants can provide adequate harvest for most families," says Sherri Sanders, White County extension agent with the University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture.
It's not just Arkansas gardeners who grow tomatoes. An estimated 95 percent of American gardeners grow the tasty, red vegetable. The USDA says four out of five people prefer tomatoes to any other homegrown food.
Sanders says you can tell gardening season is here because her office has been flooded with questions about tomatoes. Here are some of the frequently asked questions and her answers:
Q. What causes the lower leaves of my tomato plants to roll up?
A. Any type of stress can cause leaf roll or curling of the leaves. It doesn't affect fruiting or quality, and it's not a disease. Leaf roll is a common genetic trait in some varieties such as Mountain Delight and Mountain Spring.
Q. What causes the flowers to drop off my tomato plants?
A. During extremes of daytime and nighttime temperatures, tomatoes don't set fruit, and the flowers drop. The problem usually disappears as the weather improves.
Q. How often should my tomato plants be fertilized?
A. Fertilize the garden before planting tomatoes. Apply fertilizer again when fruit first sets. After the first fruit sets, side-dress the plants with additional fertilizer every two weeks.
Q. What causes large, black spots on the bottom or blossom end of my tomatoes?
A. Blossom-end rot is caused by improper moisture conditions. This results in a calcium deficiency in the developing fruit. Make sure the soil pH is above 6.0. Maintain uniform soil moisture as the fruit grows.
Q. My tomatoes were healthy during the spring and early summer; yet after a rain, they wilted and died rapidly. I found a white fungal growth at the base of the plant.
A. This is southern blight, a soil-borne fungus that lives on organic material in the soil. Deep burial of undecomposed organic material in the soil reduces this problem. Crop rotation also reduces the incidence of southern blight.
Q. What causes my upper tomato leaves to turn yellowish and fall off?
A. Many conditions may cause these symptoms, including spider mites, diseases, and nutrient deficiencies. Examine the underside of the leaves for small, red to greenish mites. If you find mites, treat with two to three applications of insecticides at five-day intervals.
Q. Will tomatoes become fully ripe and red if they're harvested early?
A. Yes, fruits harvested at the first blush of pink will ripen fully. A tomato picked at the first sign of color and ripened at room temperature will be just as tasty and colorful as one left to fully mature on the vine. Picking tomatoes before they turn red reduces bird and squirrel damage.
Q. My tomato plants look great. They're dark green, vigorous and healthy. However, flowers are not forming any fruit. What's the problem?
A. Several conditions can cause tomatoes to not set fruit. Too much nitrogen fertilizer, nighttime temperatures over 75 degrees, low temperatures below 50 degrees, irregular watering, insects, such as thrips, or planting the wrong cultivar can result in poor fruit set.
Q. What causes a tomato fruit to crack? What can I do?
A. Cracking is a physiological disorder caused by soil moisture fluctuations. When the tomato reaches the mature green stage, reduce or cut off the water supply to the plant as the tomato begins to ripen. The best control for cracking is a constant and regular water supply. Apply a layer of organic mulch to the base of the plant. Use varieties that resist cracking.
For more information about tomatoes and gardening, contact your county extension agent or visit http://www.uaex.edu and select Home and Garden. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of Agriculture.
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http://www.uaex.edu/news/june2009/0605tomatoes.htm
Contact: Elizabeth Fortune, (501) 671-2120, efortune@uaex.edu
