Question
I'm in Columbus, OH and growing two different hybrids and two heirloom varieties in containers on my deck.  My garden has a soil-borne disease that soon kill off any tomato planted there.  My current plants are lovely and I'm getting lots of ripe tomatoes from all plants.  The problem is none of them have any taste!  No smell either.  This is a world-class bummer I'm telling you.  Hope you can shed some light on this for me.  Thanks, Jay

Answer
Jay, you have two separate problems that are being caused by problems in your soil.  When plants lack taste, it is usually due to an improper ph balance in your soil.  Tomatoes like a ph at around 6.5.  When soil is too acidic, it is usually below 6.0; too alkaline is generally over 7.0.

You can purchase a soil test kit at most garden centers.  These will measure your ph levels and some will also give you readings on the nutrients in your soil.  My guess is that the soil is too acidic and requires an application of lime.  It is best to apply lime in fall or early spring to correct the acidic level.  You didn't mention what type of soil you have in your containers, but make sure you use a combination of potting soil and composted materials such as aged manure and peat moss.

To correct the soilborne disease issue in your garden, you need to solarize your soil this fall, once all of your crops are spent.  Simply place black plastic over the soil through early spring.  The heat and lack of light will kill of most diseases.  The other option is to plant only disease resistant varieties.  Some gardeners feel this compromises the taste of the heirlooms, but many of today's hybrids offer the same taste and growth habits.

I hope this answered your question.  Good luck, and have a great summer.

Regards,

Mike