For questions 1 & 2 I would spray some kind of insecticide and dust with copper, Not sure about question 3 but in sounds like it is a bush type only being 2 feet tall, Question 4 - Are you watering enough due to the high temp? Try giving it some kind of calcium.

#1 - possibly spider mites but no way to know without a pic of them. From the info provided there are several possibilities. Google 'spider mites' for photos to compare to yours. If they are mites then you will need one of the recommended pesticides for them.

#2 - aphids can be hosed off the plants with just a stream of water.

#3 - you can't. Until it grows and produces fruit you have to assume that the label on the plant was correct. Even then the odds of putting a name on it are slim to none. There are 6000+ varieties of tomato plants and easily 3500 of them are red, smooth fruit. :) So if it was unknown when you bought it it will remain unknown. Just eat and enjoy and don't worry about what it is named.

#4 - There are other causes of blossom drop other than temps. Excess nitrogen pests, diseases, high humidity, etc. Check out the FAQ here all about it. While a calcium supplement "might" help with BER it does nothing for blossom drop.

#5 - Increasing yield? Pruning does not increase yield. It reduces yield.

Yield is primarily determined by the variety genetics and the growing conditions you provide - consistent sol moisture levels, pest control, disease prevention, adequate sun exposure, and proper nutrient levels on a regular basis. In ground generally produces better than containers since the methods are so different and the plant needs so different. Plant type also plays a role in that indeterminate varieties generally produce more than determinate varieties.

Lots of good reading here discussing all these aspects of growing tomatoes so taking the time to browse through some of the discussions is a good way to pick up the knowledge needed.

Good luck with your tomatoes.

Dave

The white things are probably cast skins of aphids.

Never, ever, suggest chemical treatment until a firm ID has been established.

lots of ground covered here...a couple of "basic" things that have been overlooked with your past failures: 1. tomatoes need a whole lot of sun! That means direct sunlight. 2. early in the growing season...some situations are worse, ie. things like fruit drop/blossom failures.

Ok I did some researching and further inspection of my plants and this is what I found:

1. The white "bugs" on the plants are not spider mites. They are cast skins of aphids. I hosed some off today.

2. I also have been finding strange, tan aphids. I googled it and found they are mummified by parasitic wasps. I have 2 wasps that hang around my garden. Go wasps!

3. About the Blossom Drop, I used Garden Lime when I planted all my tomatoes so they should have enough calcium. Should I reapply? Also, the soil where they are planted is always really moist and I water well.

---Thanks all!

Good job on #1. On #2 they aren't the wasps you see. The parasitic wasps are very tiny ones of the family but as you apparently have them - then go wasps!

#3 has some problematic assumptions in it.

First, Lime if it doesn't screw up your soil pH which is easy to do when using it can be a good source of calcium if you use the right type - there are several different forms. But no, you sure don't need to re-apply any more of it.

It should never be applied without first knowing your soil pH. For example my native soil has a pH of 8.4. If I added lime nothing much would grow at all. Sometimes in our enthusiasm to fix one issue we manage to screw up even more things so well-informed baby steps usually work better.

Second, most soils have sufficient calcium already in them, calcium poor soil is very rare in the US and when one does find low-calcium soil there are much better ways of supplementing it.. Extensive testing has proven that tomatoes with BER also have sufficient calcium in them. It is just poorly distributed. That poor distribution is tied to - wait for it - watering as explained in the FAQ. :)

Also, the soil where they are planted is always really moist and I water well.

Is not necessarily good. Overly wet, poorly draining soil and over-watering contributes to BER just as much as under-watering or overly dry soil does. Most inexperienced gardeners way over-water and more plants are killed by over-watering than by anything else.

The goal with tomatoes is consistency of a low soil moisture level. That usually means watering slowly, deeply and less frequently and only watering when the soil at the root level 6-8" down needs it. Obviously container plants will require more frequent watering than in-ground plants. The containers also require regular nutrient supplements.

So you may well need not only find out what your soil pH is and fix it but also to do some more research and evaluation of your watering regimen and soil permeability/drainage.

Dave

Just want to add - do a soil test not only to check pH, NPK, Ca but also Mg. If you need to raise the pH by adding lime, you will get Ca from calcitic lime but also Mg from dolomitic lime. My native soil is very low pH (around 4.9 -5.0) and a little low in Ca but high in Mg so when I lime I use calcitic never dolomitic.