Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: lenht on August 09, 2008, 14:51

Title: BROWN TOMATOES - WHY
Post by: lenht on August 09, 2008, 14:51
I have about 30 outdoor growing tomato plants, several of which have produced fruit that has gone from green to brown without turning red. I was given these as small plants by a friend who had cultivated them from his own seeds. It is not restricted to one plant but to several, all of which appear to be different varieties. The crop was sparayed against blight and the plants themselves appear healthy.
Anyone got any ideas what is wrong ???  :?
Title: BROWN TOMATOES - WHY
Post by: iwantanallotment on August 09, 2008, 14:54
Could they possibly be a brown/mahogany variety/varieties, ie Russian Black Cherry, etc?
Title: BROWN TOMATOES - WHY
Post by: SalJ1980 on August 09, 2008, 14:54
Hi Lenht and welcome to the forums!  :D  No idea personally as I only have one tomato plant outside (it wouldn't fit in the greenhouse) and - fingers crossed - it's fine so far.

Someone else will be along shortly with the answer!
Title: BROWN TOMATOES - WHY
Post by: Trillium on August 09, 2008, 14:59
If everything else is healthy, then I'd go with what iwantanallotment suggested - that somehow all your friend's seeds got crossed with the dark brown/rust coloured, and more dominant, type tomatoes which are mostly Russian in origin. To save your own seeds you must be diligent about covering the plants from wind and bees who can easily cross pollinate what you don't want.

Try one of each different variety and see how they taste.
Title: BROWN TOMATOES - WHY
Post by: hotterotter on August 09, 2008, 20:13
could be Blossom End Rot or something like that, its caused by pottasium deficiency
Title: BROWN TOMATOES - WHY
Post by: DD. on August 09, 2008, 20:18
Quote from: "hotterotter"
could be Blossom End Rot or something like that, its caused by pottasium deficiency


Not if it's the whole fruit that's affected.

B.E.R. is caused by a calcium deficiency and can infact be stimulated by an excess of potassium.