Let’s not call the whole thing off. Let’s figure out what to do.

Blossom end rot
Blossom end rot looks as bad as it sounds. It has its origins in two conditions: calcium deficiency in the soil and uneven soil moisture levels. A soil test will probably show ample calcium. While waiting for the report, try consistent watering along with a 2- to 3-inches mulch. Stay away from ammonia forms of nitrogen, which dampen calcium absorption, especially when tiny tomatoes are just starting to form.

No Flowers
Lots of lush foliage but no flowers often points to very fertile soil with nitrogen aplenty. Don’t add any more of that blue-green stuff. Think like a flowering plant: when conditions are cozy why reproduce with flowers, fruit and seed?

No Fruit
When fruit fails to develop even when there’ve been buds and blooms, a few interesting causes come to mind. Pollinators have failed to appear. Winds have died down at critical times neglecting to lift pollen to nearby blossoms. Rain has discouraged pollinators and soaked the pollen to an ineffective mush. Excessive heat has degraded the pollen so it cannot complete its mission. Time your plantings for three different harvests from early, middle or late summer, so that the weather does not devastate your one hope for a tomato salad.

More Rot
There are several diseases causing rot, the most common is early blight (originating with the fungus Alternaria solani), though it can occur any time during the growing season. If you see the weeds black nightshade or Jerusalem cherry nearby, root them out and bury them far from your garden bed because they are carriers. They’re not allowed in the compost pile, either. Rotate the location of your other solanaceous crops—potato, pepper, or eggplant—every three to four years.

Though intensive gardening dictates some “crowding,” in this case it doesn’t work. Space your tomato cages or creeping vines further apart to allow for air circulation, and the quick drying of morning dew and surface water. Irrigate with drip or ooze hoses. For resistance to early blight try these cultivars: Mountain Fresh, Mountain Supreme, and Plum Dandy.

Crack-up
Tomatoes crack when they absorb heaps of water after a dry-spell. Timing is everything. Integrate your watering schedule with rain events, to maintain uniformly moist soil. Not an easy thing to do. Watch the weather report diligently and like a sailor always keep a weather eye on the sky.

Invaders
These are the usual insect suspects: aphids, Colorado potato beetle, cutworms, flea beetles, fruit worms, hornworms, Japanese beetles, mites, stink bugs and whiteflies. These are the other barbarians raiding your garden: birds, chipmunks, deer, raccoons, rats and squirrels. Handpick the insects, consigning them to a jar of soapy water; blast away the smaller ones with a jet spray from the garden hose. Physical barriers like a lightweight fabric row cover that allows at least 85 percent of sunlight will also deter most of these insect looters. Cutworms attack from below, so frustrate them with a 4-inch, empty cardboard roll set around seedlings to a 1-inch depth. Deer are kept at bay by 8-foot fences and noxious odors.
That doesn’t cover every fine mess tomatoes get themselves into. Check the Cooperative Extension website for more messes and more remedies.

TIP OF THE WEEK
Container plants need daily watering during sunny, high-temperature days. For best results, submerge pots in an outsized container until bubbles stop rising to the surface. Otherwise, water slides down the sides and out the drainage holes, requiring ever more water until the dry soil eventually sops it up.