I pick lovely tomatoes, both ripe and some still green only to have them begin to turn brown around the stem area within a few days. A few also begin to grow mold at the stem end. I am now washing them in a water / white vinegar solution. Any thoughts?
Are they also developing brown spots in other places ? What has the weather been like ?? Are they heirlooms ?
Its probably a bacterial soft rot which shows up with an over abundance of rain. I would switch the vinegar and add a tablespoon or two of bleach per gallon of water for the wash solution. That's what I wash my vegetables and fruit in. It kills the surface bacteria that can ruin your harvest. You can also spray the foliage/fruit with an Epsom salts solution. Might help.
Sjoerd, no to the photo. I have a problem posting them, but thanks. Mart, there are no other spots. Just the darkening at the top and some beginning to mold at the very top. I'll try the bleach with water solution. How long should I wait to eat them after a bleach wash?
Mart, I did wash some green tomatoes in the bleach solution, rinsed and dried them. Not one has gone bad. Thanks for the information.
You can eat immediately. Just rinse and dry. Its no more than washing dishes with a soap that has bleach. Its just an antibacterial/ disinfectant rinse. It kills surface bacteria that cause the rot in most instances.
