Question
I planted a single plant about 2 mths ago.  Within a few days, a bud and susequent fruit began to grow.  Since then the one fruit grew andt basically rotted from it's bottom.  I watered religiously ... lots of sunshine.  The palnt is growing straight up with no flowers emerging on lower branches.  I am using an 8 in pot ...(apt style),,,Please advise.

Thanx,

Ron

Answer
Ron:
First of all, repot the plant in a 1 gallon pot. The tomato sounds like it had blossom-end rot, which is caused by a calcium deficiency in the soil, but is brought on by uneven watering. It sounds like you were diligent about watering, but in that small of a pot it is easy for it to dry out completely between waterings.

If you can, try putting some crushed eggshells or garden lime in bottom of the planting hole when you repot. It's not worth you're buying a bag of lime for one tomato, but if you are buying bagged soil, you might see if you can find a mix that contains some lime. It will grow without it if you can't find such a thing.

Flowers will appear on the upper branches, not the lower ones. If your nighttime temperatures are below 50 or the daytime above 90, you may not see any flowers. I don't know where you live, but here in Oregon we're having a hard time with our tomato crop due to the weather.

Elyse