By Tomquest
United Kingdom 
My outdoor tomatoes (different varieties) have developed a brown colouration on the stem and branches and the fruit is brown and cankerlike. The same happened to a plant I gave to a friend. I grew tomatoes in the same area last year (as many suggest) and had bumper crops all were healthy. Could you tell me what the cause could be and what if anything I can do to rectify the problem. (Norwich)
5 Sep, 2011
Answers
Suspect you have blight and if the tomatoes are already brown you need to destroy the whole crop either burn or put in your wheely bin do not put in your compost. Tomatoes, like all solanums should not be grown on the same area of ground two years running. Practice a four year rotation. Don't use the area you grew the tomatoes on this year for any solanum, i.e. potatoes, egg plant, for a minimum of four years.
5 Sep, 2011
Some years, weather conditions make tomatoes more suseptable to blight than others. As well as rotating crops, look for a variety of tomato that has good resistance to blight and other diseases.
6 Sep, 2011
it could be ground needs freshoning up with compost,or rotating ,or it may have needed water at one time,
5 Sep, 2011