One of the most popular vegetables around the world is tomatoes. Many cultures use them in a number of dishes and salads. Many people have found that growing their own tomatoes greatly increases their ease in using tomatoes and confidence that they are getting a quality vegetable. In order to keep from having more tomatoes then you know what to do with though most gardeners will stagger their plantings or grow varities that will ripen at different times so that they will be harvesting ripe tomatoes all summer long.

Many problems associated with your tomato garden can easily be avoided by simple maintenance of your garden. A few of the most common tomato growing problems and the ways to avoid them follow.

The most common problem is phosphorus deficiency. Most soils are loaded with phosphorous so the best way to avoid this problem is to plant early while the ground is cooler and this will inhibit the plants from taking up the phosphorous. If you've already planted your tomatoes, using plastic mulch can aid in warming up the ground.

Stink bugs are the second worst problem for tomatoes. Stink bugs will feed on your plants causing spots and internal damage. The best way to control them is by keeping your garden clean, keep all weeds out of your garden so the bugs can't over-winter in the trash.

Every tomato gardener has experienced blossom end rot at somtime or the other, it occurs from the combination of cold weather or high heat when the tomatoes are blooming, improper watering can also bring the problem on. When these two things occur, calcium becomes unavailable causing a calcium deficiency. Fertilizing and watering properly can avoid this problem.

Root rot is another common problem. This is caused by an abundance of fungus growing after over-watering your plants. Management of root rot requires soil improvement, proper watering and rotation of your tomatoes. Only plant your tomatoes in the same spot every three years to avoid root rot.

These tomato growing problems are all easily avoidable by proper maintenance of your garden, proper watering and not planting too early in the season.

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