Green tomatoes going black

[Glenn Uk]

Dear All

this is the first serious year of growing our own.

One of the things we did (wrong!) was to plant quite a few tomato plants quite close together and basically leave them to it.

This resulted in lots of fruit which we could not get to, some so heavy it ended up dragging the plants down to the ground.

So in an effort to save much of the fruit i decided to pick the fruit green and ripen off the plant (in hind sight and with family advice this may not have been the best strategy but i am where i am).

Anyway to the problem.

Much of the fruit is not ripening but the skin is turning black and perhaps i can describe the texture as pock marked. The skin is not broken but just has a lot of shallow dimples or pock marks.

My father in law says he thinks its becuase they got wet, but that doesnt ring true to me because all of the tomatoes were in similar situations and there are tomatoes from the same vine that are ripening fine while others get this black/textured skin on them.

Any ideas what might have caused this?

If a picture would help ill try to upload later on.

I am not sure of the variety of the toms, only that they are a cherry variety.

Thanks for any thoughts.

Glenn

[garygc2008]

sounds like blight or end rot to me, same happened to me. Rarely happens to cherry toms though. either way, it'll be interesting what everone else comes up with. I think the weather and moisture in the air has played a very big role this year. Isn't it just heart breaking when your season's work goes down the pan.

[Flummery]

I think it sounds like blight. I think they are more susceptible when grown very close together as there's not much air circulation.

[dan1979]

Yeah same has happened to all three of mine in a particular spot, believe it's blight thanks to the bad weather.

[Two_Sheds]

Blight.
It will get you in the end, especially if you grow tomatoes outdoors.

[rustylady]

It's definitely blight.

[Glenn Uk]

Cheers all
Ill google tomato blight and see if i can find out about causes/prevention for the future.

Whilst we have lost loads, we still have got sufficent to make it a worthwhile exercise.

Still onwards and upwards, ive dug the tomato spot over this morning, going to thin out some carrots and beetroots this pm.

Glenn

[wiccanlou]

Please bear in mind that if you have had blight in that patch not to grow toms, potatoes or anything else that is susceptible to that particular fungus next or it will kill it.

[Glenn Uk]

wiccanlou

thanks for that, couple of thoughts, first how long does it have to be between now and replanting with anything that might be susceptible to blight?

Secondly, my wife and i were just discussing this and wanted to point out that the blackness is appearing after we have harvested the toms. i.e. they are green and we were/are ripeing them off the bush as it were.

This is when the skin turns black and dimpled.

Glenn

[wiccanlou]

From what i have read it normally just the following year, so 2009 plant anything else other than spuds and toms and then 2010 you can grow spuds and toms again. Being a worry wart myself i'd leave it two. Don't forget do not compost the plants burn them, as for the fruit going black I'm not sure why that is happening.

[Glenn Uk]

Thanks Wiicanlou

Regarding the compost issue, we have put them in the recycling bin, we dont hae a compost bin. We have worms (if you'll forgive the expression) !!!