Kitchen Garden Forum

How's everyone doing with BER this year? Just picked first 5 toms in greenhouse and ALL of them had BER I water thro' 6" pots sunk in bed, one between every two toms, and keep a little Growmore in bottom of pot reinforced with liquid tomato fertiliser about once a week. During this hot weather I water - one potful - each day. Anything I should change?

Afternoon John, i just noticed my outdoor tomatoes grown in pots are suffering from BER, these are not standing in water trays like the ones in the greenhouse, so i'm sure mine is due to erratic watering.

So maybe you could try watering twice a day, just a thought...

no BER yet John, and we get it every year. I have bought in heirloom seeds from the USA as an experiment, as I was fed up with the BER. This doesn't mean we won't get any, but looks good so far. We are watering twice weekly, unless it is scorching, then we try to get there every evening, although it rarely is.

I've not seen any BER for a few years now, ever since I stopped growing San Marzano. As always, my tomatoes are all planted direct in the beds in the polytunnel - seven very varied varieties. They get watered once a day, nothing careful, just a good soaking as near to the stems as I can get.

Dear Retropants, i take it your plants are planted outdoors, and in the ground?

no OH, they are in the greenhouse border.

we always get BER, tried Roma, San Marzano (variations of SM), Scattalone, etc etc, all got it.

I use a lot of plum tomatoes for cooking - I like to jar lots of sauces to last me through the year - as the only person to eat them raw is my dad!

Ive removed about 8 today that are showing signs of rot but its not at the bottom they are all moneymaker

No blossom end rot so far. I don't grow any f1s only heritage varieties or non hybrid ones so that I can save the seed.

I got lots from an American seed swap and have just kept three or four of the best varieties. These are Cherokee Green, Amish Paste, Abraham Lincoln and Eva's Purple Ball if anyone is interested.

Mine are mainly grown in the greenhouse border and watered well once a day but I have a few of the spares growing outside and they are all ok too although not watered so often.

I grow all different sizes too and none seem particularly susceptible.

I am using a compost with John Innes in it and it doesn't tend to dry out as quickly as some I have used so that may be a factor.

I had BER with my long peppers one year, I mixed my compost with some lime as suggested in a magazine and the following year had no BER.

Have not tried this with toms but it might be worth a go next year if you have this problem.

Tracie

With the heatwave experienced in southern England lately, BER has been difficult to avoid. So applying a potful of water daily may be sound enough for most of the season, and in most years is fine. But while we're continuing to experience excessive heat, slosh on more water, and do so frequently — copious, but intermittent, watering is not always helpful.

Regarding plum tomatoes and their susceptibility to the above, I must say I have always understood these types to be heat sensitive, either dropping their blossoms or dying back from the end of the fruits if temperatures are too high. I've always found these to be better grown outdoors in any year, although in a cool season they may succumb to blight (which is the case for any variety, it must be said).

found a couple with BER yesterday. re: regular watering, my allotment is 10 minute drive away, and I work full time, so watering every day is not practical or possible, although when it is really hot, we do try!