Our favorite tomato expert Carolyn137 wrote an excellent response to a question about Blossom End Rot (BER) and I am quoting it here: With BER there is NO problem with absorption of Ca++ though the roots. The problem is maldistribution within the plant that can be induced by a number of stresses which include uneven delivery of water, too much N, growing in too rich soil, too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry you name it. As the plants mature they can better handle the streses that can induce BER so usually it goes away. The two exceptions are first, if the soil has NO Ca++ as confirmed with a soil test, and that's a rare condition, and second, if the soil is too acidic in which Case Ca++ is bound in the soil. Again, adding lime, egg shells and on and on can not and will not prevent BER b'c absorption of Ca++ thru the roots is OK. Paste tomatoes are especially susceptible to BER and I think someone in a post above mentioned that. If you go to the top of this first page and click on the FAQ link and scroll down you'll also find an article about BER in case some of you have never looked at the FAQ's And there's some darn good articles there as well, but I wouldn't pay any attention to the variety list b'c it's way out of date. The old information about BER being caused solely by lack of soil Ca++ has been shown to be wrong with research that's been done in the last 20 years or so, but it's going to take another generation before the real story gets into books, websites, magazines, etc. Most of the better websites already have the correct information. BER affects not only tomatoes, but peppers, squash, cabbage, cauliflower, etc., and it's a huge multimillion dollar problem for the industry, which is WHY all that research was done. For instance, when tissues were taken from a plant that has BER fruits and was assayed for Ca++, the normal level of Ca++ was found, it just wasn't getting to the blossom end of fruits. And there's also a condition called internal BER where the fruits look fine, no evidence of BER externally, but when you cut open the fruit the inside is black Hope that helps I know some of you have seen this before, but with the number of questions posted about BER (Blossom End Rot), I think Carolyn's incomparable explanation bears repeating. Why try to reinvent the wheel when she explains it so well? Betsy

jollyrd - how many plants do you have room for? The other two are so-so. Nothing is extremely wrong with them, and I will most likely plant them again next year. They are fine, fruit is not cracking, no bad taste, but not 'wow tomato' taste or smell. Then why grow them again and waste the space? And why paste types if taste/flavor in fresh eating is your goal? Like mentioned above, paste types aren't grown for fresh eating (except maybe Opalka) or even flavor but for their thick sauce abilities to which lots of seasonings are added OR, in our case, for drying. While soil tests are very beneficial and nothing beats well amended soil for growing, and growing conditions can cause BER and other problems, TASTE is a whole other issue. Tomato fresh-eating flavor comes primarily from the variety you choose. So if that is the goal - fresh eating flavor - then you need to focus on some very different varieties. Primarily beefsteaks and so-called slicing tomatoes. No yellows IMO and no cherries except maybe Sun Gold and Black Cherry and no paste types. You will find literally tons of recommendations here on best flavor as it is a very personal taste-bud thing. So all I can do it list some of the many varieties we routinely grow for fresh eating (and also for canning). They are a mix of hybrids and open-pollinated varieties, all are indeterminates, and not necessarily in order, ok? Arkansas Traveler Giant Belgium Champion Jet Star Supersonic Beefsteak Rutgers etc. (there are many more) Then get your soil test and add what it recommends and you'll be good to go. ;) Dave

Great. Now due to this rave reviews, I may just have to make room again for it in my garden. lol I had tried it and Opalka since I planned to make sauce, but no joke, I believe they were the only tomato plants that did wimpy in my garden! It was my first year gardening, but with all the research I did and care I gave them, all the other ones rocked, like Middle Tennessee, Italian Tree, Mariana's Peace, etc., so much so I had to train them sideways along the fence. My paste tomato plants? I believe I did four and I think ONE got to a gangly 4 feet tall, not very branched, the others were stubbornly stuck at about two feet tall, though they did produce. LOL! So yeah, MAYBE I just might have to scrap the idea of another new oxheart variety and give a well praised paste tomato a second chance. ;)

What I can say is that BER is, mostly, water related - usually too much water. However, your plants are in pots and so I cannot speak to that as I have never grown tomatoes in pots. Without knowing what the soil medium is it is hard to assess if you are watering too much. Does the foliage look like it is healthy? Do you feel like the plants have enough nutrients in the soil? Just making sure you are not washing away the nutriants from the frequent waterings. Perhaps you fertilize often when you water - I don't know. From my experience BER is caused from watering too often. I asked how tall your plants were because as the plant grows it becomes more able to deal with the water issues that interfer with the calcium uptake. Your plants being 6' talls me they are mature enough at this stage to deal with the calsium issues that caus BER. When plants are small they can have difficulty regulating the water and calcium resulting in BER. Plants this tall that continue to have BER is usually caused by watering too often. Watering too often also results in cracked/split Toms. All I can suggest is to make sure your soil mix is dense enough to hold enough water long enough for the plants to get a good drink. Check into the Earthtainer. That is a self-watering system. From what I have heard people have good results with them. What is the color of your pots? If they are black I would suggest putting something in front of them to shade them from the hot sun. All too often the pot gets so hot that the plant's roots are not able to use all the soil in the because they get baked as they try to extend outward. Also, try using lighter colord pots. This might prevent heat from being absorbed by the pot and then transferred to the soil. I would imagine that as much as an inch or so might from the pot might be unusable by the plant if the soil it too heated. Shielding the pots from the sun is like mulching to me. Anything to moderate the soil temp and keep those roots nice and cool. For people who live in cool areas having dark colored pots helps to keep the soil temp warm which is good, but if your temps are already warm you might want to evaluate this condition. Z6's can go either way depending on a variety of things. I don't know if you are overwatering because I don't use containers. Sorry I could not be more helpful. tom