By Katie Bedgood, Lakeview FFA Chapter Member
I have been planting tomatoes for 2 years now and for some reason, they have never grown to their full potential. I asked around if anyone would possibly know the cause of my tomato problem but never found an answer. So I took it upon myself to figure out the problem. After doing a bit of research, I learned that tomatoes are easily stressed. When the tomato vine is stressed, it tends to leave the plant producing small tomatoes. The most common reason for a stressed tomato plant is extreme drought and heat. To not be at risk of this problem you need to keep your soil as moist as possible and not let your plants wilt. A few other not as common causes are insect infestation, poor pollination, and too much nitrogen in your soil. But I have learned through a lot of trial and error and a lot of trial and determination you can grow big and healthy tomatoes.
