My tomatoes form spots/dimples just days after being picked. Sometimes they form on the plant. The leaves have been dying on otherwise healthy plants. In addition my squash form and as they are growing the rot. My pumpkins as well. So frustrating!
So I was wondering if I could fix whatever is in my soil by planting a crop after harvesting is done and before snow that might help it?

Have you seen any insects? When you cut the tomatoes open, what's inside under the spots?

Chances are your soil is not the problem.
If you could include a few pictures of the garden. It could be from a lack of air movement, too much humidity, or improper light.
The more
Likely cause is some type of insect issue. The female lays an egg, it pierced the skin of the fruit and the damage eventually appears.

No insects - looks like fungus

I agree probably not soil born but to answer your question:


In the Northeast alone 1,687,080 tons of fresh market and processing vegetables on 264,490 acres, worth $701,377,000 suffer 10-15% losses from soil borne diseases (NASS Crop Profiles, 2007). Disease suppressive cover crop rotations may provide an additional tool for managing soil borne disease. Researchers have documented significant increases in yield after sudangrass, brassica, millet and other cover crops. Here we describe recent results of a two season on-farm case study using cover crops to suppress Verticillium wilt in tomato.

Mustards, rapeseed and sudangrass contain a chemical and an enzyme in the plant cell wall. When these cover crops are chopped into small pieces with a flail mower and then quickly incorporated and sealed into the soil using a cultipacker or water, the chemical comes into contact with the enzyme and it breaks down into a chemical that behaves like a fumigant. The chemicals and the enzymes are not toxic by themselves, but when they come in contact with each other, the chemical is broken down by the enzyme into compounds that are toxic to soil-borne pathogens and even weeds seeds. Cover crops can also improve soil organic matter and related soil water holding capacity, infiltration and microbial activity which positively impact yields over time.

From Penn. State.

If you don't see insects, I would guess humidity and lack of air circulation and possibly overwatering. More photos would be helpful as would showing us the inside of one of the fruits.

This is my garden - plenty of sun, air flow...it is 30 x 30 (my friends like to call it the farm)
I had the same issue last year. I bought all new seeds for this season thinking maybe that was the issue.

More pics of the tomatoes cut open. Not a bug to be found. Last year either - this is why I'm thinking it's the soil. Thank you all for your time, I so appreciate it!

If it is not bugs, then it's fungal or bacterial.

BigBill said:If it is not bugs, then it's fungal or bacterial.

I would agree with you because I had one plant go bad, including tomatoes, and I have zero bug problems.
I had put all new soil down four inches in that area.
Last year most of my tomatoes had it to some degree but I have treated them and so far outside of leaf curl none of those in the main garden have the problem.
With the humid weather we have had this year, lack of major problems has been surprising and made me happy.

Here's a website that will keep you up at night:

http://vegetablemdonline.ppath...

Look at the section about Anthracnose, caused by the fungus Colletotrichum coccodes in humid and hot climates. Squash have their own version of Colletotrichum, as do cucumbers.

Stink bugs, maybe ? They carry disease. They fly, only time I see them is around 7 to around 8 AM. Then there gone.
On the web, you can find simple ez traps to catch em, also to catch squash bugs.
😎😎😎

Oh yeah - I've been to that site in the past - yuck!
Can't figure out how to fix it tho....was hoping there was a crop that would 'purify' the soil and get rid of it!! Sad after all the work I do to get my garden planted.

DaisyI said:Here's a website that will keep you up at night:


Look at the section about Anthracnose, caused by the fungus Colletotrichum coccodes in humid and hot climates. Squash have their own version of Colletotrichum, as do cucumbers.

I remember hearing someone saying something as clover being a cover crop??

Good luck!!😀

Mindi

There are plants that are excellent cover crops and they are often used in crop rotation. Over a period of a few years, you can then plant the original crop. Some crop plants take more out of the soil then others.
I think that you are making quite a leap if you think that clover will fix the soil. If this fungus or bacteria is really in the soil and is responsible for these vegetable issues, I am not sure that these cover crops would address that issue.
I remember from class talking about plants with the property of having nitrogen fixing bacteria at their roots and by letting the field lay fallow for a period of time. You can't in some cases plant the same crop year after year after year because that culture lessens the health of the field.

Any legume makes a good cover crop, and fixes nitrogen in soil also.

What about growing different tomatoes. You might find one that is resistant to whatever is ruining your tomatoes.

I have heard that diatom earth can help ward off problems

Cover crops, green manure...cover crops are ANNUALS in 'fallow' plant beds for the winter. The idea is to turn the biomass into the soil before going to seed. During the winter, cover crops outcompete weeds. Not allowing weed seeds to germinate as well as shading the weeds. Cover crops are amazing for weed reduction and adding organic matter to the soil. They are NOT meant to be fertilizer. Arghhh. All this stuff against plain old balanced fertilizer is truly dumb.

Cover crops are plants that are able to withstand multiple freezes, minimal water and chemistry (most call chemistry nutrients which is just wrong) and when chopped down in the spring turned over into the soil before flowering and producing seed is one of the best practices to enhance any soil we can do for our gardens. One needs to add a bit of nitrogen to hasten the decomposition before planting in that bed.

Cover crops are NEVER to be thought of as fertilizer. Here is my ditty about fertilizer; Less is Best, More is Death and None is just Dumb.

I do not know what you mean by FIXING the soil. DECOMPOSED organic matter feeds the soil life. Soil life depends upon decomposed organic matter for fuel, for 'food', for an energy source. Bark, chips, grass clippings, straw is worthless to the soil until all of that non decomposed organic matter gets decomposed.

Listen up. Decomposers use Nitrogen for energy. Nitrogen, moisture, air and warmth (decomposing usually creates plenty of warmth. If one is using COMPOST as a 'fertilizer' pretty much all that is added is nitrogen. All the nitrogen is used up by the decomposers way before it will be available to the plants.

Compost will never ever be 'fertilizer' nor will it ever be a soil replacement! Double digging plant beds one time so they are above the surface of the lawn and concrete is essential. ONE TIME. Trenches all along the perimeter of the beds 6"X6" will accentuate drainage. Soil thrown up onto the beds. Winter is the best time to layer 2" of decomposed organic matter. DECOMPOSED is the key here.

Soil organisms come up to eat this decomposed organic matter then they dive back into the soil no lower than 6" to poop it all out. The micro and macro soil organisms mix the decomposed organic matter into your soil. Beautifully and quickly. This is the ONLY WAY to improve ANY soil. I kid you not. And I am a professional that knows this stuff! No addition of sand, gypsum, gravels is indicated in fact they are contraindicated.

I have to add that CROP ROTATION is life and death in a garden. When one plants tomatoes or peppers in a bed the next two years one should NOT plant the genus Solanaceae. I use pots and potting soil to extend my garden real estate. Planting in pots means ONLY potting soil. Sterilized potting medium as there is very little soil involved with potting soil.

Big Bill is correct! The genus Solanaceae and the Curcubits and the Brassicas have to be rotated religiously. Planting in potting soil in pots means that you can still grow the species of these genus without worrying about where you will be able to plant them the next year.