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“An application of a starter fertilizer at transplanting will help tomato plants grow faster and flower sooner.”

“In addition to starter fertilizer, tomatoes need 2 to 3 pounds of a complete fertilizer, such as 6-24-24, 6-12-18, and 8-16-16 per 100 square feet of garden area, or apply fertilizer based on soil test recommendations.”

“Determinate (D) tomato plants grow to a certain height and then stop. They also flower and set all their fruits within a relatively short period of time. This is an advantage if the tomatoes are being grown primarily for canning purposes. Determinate plants tend to be smaller plants, and are better suited for caging, staking, or containers.”

“Heirloom tomatoes are gaining popularity. There are quite a few good heirloom varieties that are worth noting. Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, Mortgage Lifter, and Rutgers are several popular heirloom varieties.”

“Another characteristic to look for when choosing tomato cultivars is disease resistance. Many cultivar names are followed by one or more letters indicating resistance to Verticillium wilt (V), Fusarium wilt (F), nematodes (N), Tobacco Mosaic Virus (T), Alternaria stem canker (ASC), and Septoria leaf spot (L).”

“Blossom-end rot is characterized as a dry, sunken, black spot or area on the blossom end of the fruit (Figure 10). This problem is not caused by an infectious disease, but rather an insufficient supply of calcium in the fruit due to cold soil, pH imbalance, water stress, excessive nitrogen, and possibly limited availability of calcium in soil.”

“Poor fruit set can be caused by extreme temperatures, drought, shading, and excessive nitrogen applications.”

The above quotes are from Growing Tomatoes in the Home Garden, HYG-1624.