# What's happening to our Tomatoes? Spots, and something.... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 29, 2010, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-happening-to-our-tomatoes-spots-and-something/548451 "2010-07-29T14:13:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-happening-to-our-tomatoes-spots-and-something/548451/1 "2010-07-29T14:13:37Z")
We have two tomato plants on our back deck, they are in large black planter boxes and then bathed in 4 to 5 inches of water…so the soil is always nice and moist. Well, we have a lot of tomatoes coming and yet some of them look like they are going bad while still green. See [here](http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/Phlosphr/DSC_0307.jpg)and [here](http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/Phlosphr/DSC_0306.jpg). Also, here is a [Pic](http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156/Phlosphr/DSC_0308.jpg)of the plants and the set-up. I should mention they get full sun all day. The plant on the right with the browning of the lower leaves is having the most rot on the fruits. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Hedda\_Rosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hedda_rosa/32/1204_2.png) [@Hedda\_Rosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hedda_Rosa)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-happening-to-our-tomatoes-spots-and-something/548451/2 "2010-07-29T14:21:49Z")
blossom end rot, I think. [http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/factsheets/Tomato\_BlossRt.htm](http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/factsheets/Tomato_BlossRt.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-happening-to-our-tomatoes-spots-and-something/548451/3 "2010-07-29T15:24:36Z")
Hmmm, that looks similar…I wonder if ought to let the plants dry a little instead of keeping a few inches of water in there… ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-happening-to-our-tomatoes-spots-and-something/548451/4 "2010-07-29T15:32:38Z")
Could also be tomato blight? ---
**Author:** ![Hedda\_Rosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hedda_rosa/32/1204_2.png) [@Hedda\_Rosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hedda_Rosa)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-happening-to-our-tomatoes-spots-and-something/548451/5 "2010-07-29T19:45:44Z")
**Wallenstein** you are probably right, it is blight, not end rot. I didn’t think of it because I’m on the West Coast and we’ve avoided it so far this year and last but it is all over the East Coast. Blossom end rot is not a big deal, blight is a HUGE deal. Phlosphr, you should call your county’s cooperative extention office about identifying the disease, and how to best destroy your plants. And if it is blight you most likely will have to destroy them. [http://www.nysipm.cornell.edu/publications/blight/](http://www.nysipm.cornell.edu/publications/blight/) [http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/factsheets/Potato\_LateBlt.htm](http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/factsheets/Potato_LateBlt.htm) [http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/PhotoPages/Impt\_Diseases/Tomato/Tom\_Late.htm](http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/PhotoPages/Impt_Diseases/Tomato/Tom_Late.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Hedda\_Rosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hedda_rosa/32/1204_2.png) [@Hedda\_Rosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hedda_Rosa)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-happening-to-our-tomatoes-spots-and-something/548451/6 "2010-07-29T19:51:36Z")
P.S. In the future you should water a little less, even in containers. They like soil that is moist and light but not soggy. If you can squeeze a handful of soil and water drips out, it is way too wet. If the top 2 inches of soil are dry then it is time to water. If the soil is dry all the way down then you should have watered yesterday. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-happening-to-our-tomatoes-spots-and-something/548451/7 "2010-07-29T21:26:24Z")
Agreed with **Hedda Rosa** - I don’t have any plants that like wet feet. ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-happening-to-our-tomatoes-spots-and-something/548451/8 "2010-07-30T13:12:38Z")
This is our first year of growing tomatoes (in the UK) and we seem to have blight on the leaves. Not much we can do about it - we’ve had a few wet and warm weeks, so perfect conditions for it. We only have 3-4 plants in tubs so I’ll chuck the infected plants when they are totally gone, and sterilse pots etc for next year.