Brown Spots on Brandywine Tomatoes

by Leslie Mackiewicz
(Alna, Maine)

Q. My Brandywine tomatoes have brown spots which have sink holes in some of them. What can this be?

A. There are several possible reasons why your tomatoes have brown, sunken spots.

• Stink bugs. These pests infest tomato plants by inserting their snouts under tomato skin and sucking out juices. Sting points produce dark pinprick marks on the tomato. Discolored areas appear on tomatoes where fluid is removed. Damage can appear knot-like.
  
• Late blight. Blue-gray spots on leaves lead to irregular brown, greasy spots on fruit.
  
• Blossom end rot. Here, the bottom side of the tomato (either a green or ripened one) develops a sunken, leathery dark brown or black spot.
  

Click on the above links to learn how to treat each of these tomato problems.

Good Luck and Happy Gardening!
Your friends at Tomato Dirt