The dark soft spot that appears on the end of a tomato (to a lesser degree eggplant or pepper) opposite the stem, ruining the fruit, is an annual problem that frustrates many gardeners. The condition is not caused by a disease but a calcium deficiency that weakens the cell walls of tomatoes. The most common causes of this malady are uneven periods of soil moisture (which can also cause cracking and cat-facing) and improper soil pH. Both interfere with the plant's ability to properly transport calcium to the fruit. Overly wet soil is difficult to prevent in our unpredictable climate, but raised beds will allow excess water to drain. Conservation of soil moisture during dry spells is relatively easy through mulching and drip irrigating (overhead irrigation can foster bacterial and fungal diseases of the foliage). Check beneath the mulch one or twice a week and irrigate if necessary. If the soil is too acidic, the plant will not be able to use efficiently calcium already in the soil. Lime, a chief source of calcium, is used to raise the pH (your local extension agent can help with soil samples and recommendations on the amount needed to achieve the target pH of 7). A fertilizer which obtains its nitrogen from calcium carbonate rather than acid-forming ammonium is also recommended.

Supporting tomato plants helps control disease and makes it easier to harvest the fruit. The support systems I have seen for sale at garden centers are generally laughably short; a contraption three feet high and a foot around is not going to provide much support for a six-foot plant three feet in diameter. My grandfather favored large home designed tomato cages made from concrete reinforcing wire. The cages were 6 feet high and nearly three feet in diameter and provided support for lush growth and heavy yields. The cages had some drawbacks, however; they were heavy, hard to move, and they took up a lot of storage space. My father started out with stakes made of stout pieces of wood, but found they could be snapped easily when a strong, wet wind blew against a mature plant. He used 1/2-inch diameter by 10 foot long metal, electrical conduit for a number of years and found it worked well for tomatoes as well as eggplant. I usually cut the conduit into 8 foot lengths. It's light and easily pushed into garden soil, and is easily stored. The metal conduit lasts for years with virtually no maintenance. To tie the stems of tomatoes and eggplants to the conduit, I use plastic stretch ties (available at the nursery). Old pantyhose or cheese cloth work well also.

• Indeterminate vines, often robust and in need of pruning, produce over the entire season.
• Determinate vines, frequently short and well-behaved, produce most of their bounty all at once. Determinate varieties are useful when canning tomatoes.