That's most likely Bottom End Rot, and Park's Whoppers are especially prone to it. I'm in Georgia, too, and planted them for 2 years. I probably got a total of ten tomatoes those two years -- the rest I had to take off and throw away with those brown/black leathery spots on the bottom. It's the worst BER tomato plant I've ever grown.

DON'T plant them again if it continues for you the rest of the summer. Some other tomato plants are resistant to it, and many don't get it anyway except during the first part of the fruiting season.

That's blossom end rot, not bottom end rot!

You've very vividly described the causes and symptoms of Blossom End Rot, probably the most commonly reported tomato problem. We all have empathy for the drought you are going through and we even need more rain in the northeast but water will likely be the solution to your problem. Try to keep watering on a regular basis if permitted.

Don't forget to mulch! I hardly ever water my toms, and I live where it never rains in the summer. In the beds where the veggies are too small for hay mulch I have to water twice a day.

The key, I think is CONSiSTENT moisture levels in the soil as far as the watering part of the problem goes. And even on spare watering programs the mulch will definitely help in that regard, plus help to keep the soil temps cooler and more level. But water nor lack of calcium is the whole problem, I think that it has to do with the plants inability to distribute calcium to the fruit evenly from what I have read, and stress and damage to the roots from too much or too little water can either cause or add to that problem.

Often, at least in my experience, the BER problems tends to go away as the weather warms up and stabilizes.

I grew the Parks Whopper one year and was really disappointed in it. It may have been the "improved" strain, but there was nothing that I would consider resembling a whopper on it, and the taste was pretty much so so anyway. Once was enough for me with this one.
Bill P.

Bevinga,

Look up your county water restrictions because a lot of GA counties will allow you water your vegatable garden. Food gardens are not bound by the water restriction in Dekalb and fulton.

Thank you all for your responses; you have been so very helpful!

Thank you Lelia, I have mulched, much to my daddy's irritation-Ha! He's 74 years old and gardens the old way, thinking my mulch will hurt all the plants, but I keep on doing it.

It seems I'm going to have to do much more research on which tomatoes to plant next year...never dreamed Park's Whopper would have such problems. It surely is a shame to put all that work and anticipation into something to only harvest very little fruit.

Anney, thank you for your diagnosis and I'll certainly remember not to get this one next year.

Bmoser, I learned my lesson--I am going to continue watering on my permitted days. Luckily, we got a good rain this evening, but again with the drought, it won't be nearly enough. Thanks for the empathy, and I do hope you all get the rain you need.

Gonefishin (love the name)and of course anyone else, will BER travel from one plant to another or is it mainly contained to the plant with which it began?

Again...thanks!
Beverly

No Beverly, it is physilogical (sp) and not contagious. However, the conditions existing that cause it in one plant can easily be the same for an adjacent plant, or one several plants on down the row.

I think that about all that you can do is to mulch, try to keep the moisture level consistent and wait for warmer weather. I bet that it will clear up to a large degree later on. I know that it is heart wrenching to have to throw away many otherwise pretty tomatoes, especially the first ones.

Better days.
Bill P.

bevinga

For your sake I hope your Whoppers do fine after a while, but mine didn't here in Georgia. Oddly enough, they did great when I lived in NJ, no BER at all.

I've seen one open-pollinated variety listed as being "BER-tolerant", or resistant, Manalucie. (You can save the seeds and plant them next year, never have to buy them again!) I haven't tried it yet but will. I've also found Brandy Boy hybrid didn't produce any BER fruit after summer set in, though I had a few in the beginning. Some say you should look for tomatoes recommended by southern growers or developed for southern heat-resistance. In addition, I think it's probably true that the better your soil is mixed with compost and lots of nutrients and mulched, the less problem you might have with BER. The consistency of the water supply probably has a lot to do with it, since BER isn't really a disease but rather a calcium uptake failure in the plant. Consistent moisture seems to enhance or at least not hinder calcium uptake.

Anyway, good luck. We all learn about what does best in our local area by trial and error a great deal of the time.

Again, thanks for your answers and suggestions. It's somewhat reassuring that BER isn't contagious, but since you've told me that the conditions causing it in the Park's Whopper could cause it in others, I have found some occurring in at least one other plant.

We found some spray at Lowe's (also at Wal-Mart) that says it "might" help to promote fruit production, and it "might" help to stop blossom end rot, and it "might" do a couple of other things. ROFLOL! We tried it anyway, so we "might" see some results in a bit. Who knows? Apparently the makers of the spray aren't too sure either!

Blessings,
Beverly

I have learned that Blossom End Rot is caused by lack of consistent watering. My solution was rain barrels. I have 2-- 55 gal barrels to collect the rain water from the downspouts. Keep them about 18 in off the ground so you can install a faucet to fill 5 gal pails for hand watering. It works if you get enuf rain to fill the barrels or you could fill the barrels on your watering days. Good Luck!
TomF

Make sure you check the acidity level in your soil. I know Fulton Co. Extension Service offers this for a small fee. I have always heard that BER is caused by a need for lime to be added to the soil. As a side note, my Parks Whopper has been the best, most consistent producer in our garden this year.