Once you have discovered how to have the best growing tomatoes, you will see how much fresher and tastier they are from your own garden than any you find in the grocery. If you are a gardener who grows tomatoes, you have probably seen symptoms at some point of a disease called Blossom-end rot.

If your tomato is showing symptoms of this disorder, the fruit will initially have a small, soggy spot appear on the bottom (blossom end) of the fruit. As the fruit develops, the spot gets larger and turns dark brown or black. The spot will eventually become dry and wrinkled. In particularly bad cases, the affected area can cover the lower half of the tomato and cause it to become flat or have a sunken appearance.

This problem does not spread nor is it fatal to the plant. The tomato is perfectly okay to eat - just cut out the damaged area as you would a bruised apple or banana. It can be helpful to remove any damaged fruit so the plant will have less stress and use its' energy to produce a higher quality fruit.

Blossom-end rot is generally caused by a low level of calcium in the fruit. Blossom-end rot begins when the fruit can no longer get enough calcium from the soil. Low levels of calcium in the soil can be the result of too much moisture in the soil or an extended period of dry weather.

The following three tips on how to avoid blossom-end rot will help you produce the best growing tomatoes possible:

1) plant your tomatoes in well drained, sufficiently aerated, warm soil

2) keep your soil mulched to provide adequate levels of moisture

3) use a fertilizer that is low in nitrogen and high in superphosphate, such as 4-12-4 or 5-20-5

These are just a few of the ways to control and avoid Blossom-end rot. By exercising some precautions, growing tomatoes can be easy, fun, and the end result will definitely be worth the effort!