Cheflara, I've gardened for 34 years and have probably done more reading on this "hobby" than anything else in my life. Among the contributing factors to BER are uneven watering, fluctuations in temperature, and lack of calcium in the tomatoes themselves. (Adding some to soil rarely helps, cause it's very plentiful in most soils.) There is are some simple things you can do to help reduce the chances of BER, though as some have mentioned, it usually goes away by itself as the season progresses. One thing is to put a good 3 or 4 inches of grass clippings on top of the containers. Having been to New York City many times, I know there are areas where grass clipings aren't easy to come by. But using them has so many benefits, it would be worth a little trouble to get some, like taking some boxes along the next time you visit the burbs? The clippings will: 1. Keep the soil moister, reducing "uneven" water conditions. 2, Keep the soil cooler, up to 50 degreees on the surface on hot days. 3. Provide all the nutrients your tomatoes need. Chemical fertilzers simply are not as good, plus they cost money. The grass clippings provide "a balanced meal," not too much of one nutrient and not enough of another. The chances your tomatoes will get the calcium they need will be better. If your plants are getting all-day sun, you might also think of leaning something against the pots to shade them from the hot afternoon sun. Remember, only the plants need sun, not the pots. Some kinds of materials can get hot enough to cook roots touching the inside of the pots. This also helps reduce fluctuations in temperature. And finally, if you don't have saucers or something under the pots to catch water, it would be very beneficial to get some. What happens with potted plants is that the soil dries out and shrinks. That creates a space between the soil and the sides of the pot. You water, see water running out the bottom, and think the soil has been wet. But the majority of the root ball is still bone dry. If you have a saucer under the pots, water collects there and then is slowly drawn up into the rootball by capillary action. I've been suggesting for years that drainage holes NOT be put on the bottom of containers. They should be about 2 to 4 inches up the sides, depending on the size pot. And lo and behold, a friend of mine who lives in another city recently bought a potted dwarf lemon tree. She e-mailed me and asked why the drainage holes Were Up the Sides? It's possible someone came up with this independently, but I think I have "dibs" on it? All of the above will just make General Conditions for your maters better. A healhtier plant is less likely to have problems of any kind.

I walked across the street and spoke w/ farmer there and he said our soil has more issues with clay, I use a compost that supposed to help breakdown the clay. I got a soil tester the one with the capsules and it read now 7-6ph now I've just added frets so I tested an area a few feet away@6.since 2days of frost and rain the leaves r starting to curl inwards around the edges. I think I've done what I can so far but looking into citrus fert they had low N except tree & shrubs, couldn't find high N alone unless it was a grass fert so I went with citrus avacodo @ 15-4-6 add that to 5-1-1 fish emulsion I already used a month & a half ago and another the other day. So I pretty sure I need to wait to spring and hope for a lot of new leave growth. I thank everyone for their help. W/small section of side yard we grow tomatoes but I turned the soil added potting soil and compost to the already clay area but they've done well mant times what else can I do? The clay seems to wash down and form another clay layer. I've added minerals to the soil as well!,,

There is nothing wrong with the tomatoes that have the virus other than their looks BER is not caused by a virus. Also, it's not simply the appearance that's affected -- the part of the fruit affected by BER is inedible. === you should remove the infected ones whether you eat them or not, so they do not infect the newer ones That use of "infected" is correct but misleading. Fruit which have BER are infected in the sense of having that condition, and being damaged by it. However, BER is not an infection. Fruit affected by BER are not infectious; they do not contain an infectious agent (like a bacterium or a virus). They cannot transmit the condition to other fruit. There may be secondary fungal infections, but AFAIK they do not happen often. The main advantage in removing BER-damaged fruit is not to prevent fungus attacking other fruit, but to allow the plant to use its resources on usable fruit rather than on fruit which already have BER. === I think it might be stress do to water. The soil dries out quickly and the plants look a little wilty. So then I give them water (too much maybe? How much should potted tomatoes get a day?). Sometimes I water twice a day when it gets really hot. Do you think the fluxuation in moisture is maybe causing this? Should I maybe move them to a bit more shade? Should I mulch them? Water more? Water less? Water deeply? Give only sips of Water? 7 gallons should be a good pot size. However, black pots absorb heat from the sun, and may overheat the roots. Covering the pot with something white, light-colored, or silver will deflect some of the heat. And definitely mulch your tomatoes, regardless of whether they're planted in containers or in the ground! Mulch not only keeps the soil from drying out quite so fast, but it keeps the roots cooler. It keeps down weed growth as well. And it also lessens the chance of disease -- rainwater or watering-can water striking the soil can bounce soil microorganisms onto the leaves, which can result in Bad Diseases You Don't Want to Have. Any time tomato plants look wilty, they need water. Withholding water will not help them. If they need water twice a day, then water them twice a day. Water until you see water coming out of the drain-holes. But it's not always that easy. Peat, when dry, doesn't easily absorb water. When a pot filled with a peat-based mix dries out, the peat shrinks. Then when you water, the water just runs down the air spaces at the sides of the pot, leading you to believe the plant has enough moisture -- but nothing could be farther from the truth: the plant is actually dying of thirst. You may have to water slowly and repeatedly to really get the peat moist again. Small containers are an advantage here: you can pick them up and set them in a saucer full of water until they soak up as much as they can.

Oh, that is great about painting the paneling. I briefly looked at the site on your other pictures. Love that furniture!! Especially the brown/white cow looking things!! Oh, and that conversation leather sofa is very cool - wouldn't that be awesome in a big ole Texas size room!! Love that you already have horns on your walls!! My aunt just had a chair done from Henredon - it is the coolest fabric. Kinda navajo but very classy. I looked on Henredon's site but they don't have all of their fabric. Do you have a store that sells Hendredon near you. She put it with a leather sofa - tufted back. Very good looking - yours could be opposite - leather chairs and that fabric - golds, greens, reds. She lives 2hours away or I would get you a pic. I agree with everyone else - don't worry with filling it in. Keep it rustic. Happy for you. Smiles:)