It’s a sad year for prize tomatoes. What should have been the flagship brandywine ended up stunted from a heatwave that hit while I was in Wisconsin and unable to attend to its needs. Here’s a recap of prior champions:
- 2019: 24.8oz
- 2021: 16.8oz
- 2023: 19.3oz
- 2024: 14.2oz
- 2025: 17.2oz
This year? A paltry 10.8 oz:
And to rub salt in the wound…
Blossom end rot!
This nefarious condition arises when a tomato fruit receives insufficient calcium during its growth. My soil is not deficient in this micronutrient, as my tests have confirmed. In my case, it’s simply another consequence of hot weather fluctuations. Sudden heat spells interfere with nutrient uptake. I lost a few tomatoes, but the plants always stabilize and recover. It just happened to coincide with the prize tomato’s development. Inconvenient timing.
This is not the year of the prize tomato, but it is looking like the year of tomato quantity. I made some strategy and soil amendment changes this year that are showing much promise. Photos of harvests forthcoming.
–Simon