Blossom End Rot

Blossom end rot is just what it says---the blossom end of the tomato, pepper or squash just rots. This is a common occurrence, especially for new gardeners. The symptoms can appear at any stage of growth. At first the blossom end of the tomato looks like a small, water-soaked spot, which gets bigger and darkens rapidly as the fruit develops. Sometimes it will only affect the bottom of the fruit, or it may eventually consume it entirely. These spots soon dry out and become flattened, black, and leathery in appearance and texture. This is not a disease and will not spread to other plants.

The cause of blossom end rot is usually uneven watering and inadequate calcium. Oftentimes, new gardeners don't know the right time to water their plants and the soil gets too dry. This interferes with the plants ability to take up calcium in the soil. Tomatoes planted too early in cold soil will often have blossom end rot on the first fruits, but the severity of the disease subsides on fruits set later. Another factor that can lead to blossom end rot is cultivating too close to the plant, which destroys the roots that take up the water and minerals.

The remedy is fairly simple. Use a thick layer of mulch to maintain more even moisture for the plants, and water regularly. With the mulch in place, there is no need for cultivation, and the valuable surface roots will remain in place. To maintain sufficient calcium in my garden, I use egg shells from my kitchen. I rinse the shells when I am through with the eggs, and let them dry. I put them in a plastic sandwich bag and crush them. When the a bag is half full, I put them in the garden. I haven't had blossom end rot for the last 30 years!