Hi! This is my first semi-successful attempt at growing anything. I've had a black thumb for years which included killing cactus and previously killing tomatoes because people in my area said they were easy, but recently kept some succulents and a pothos alive, which gave me the confidence to attempt vegetables.
I transplanted "husky cherry" tomatoes, "big boy" indeterminate beefsteak tomatoes(from a potted one that got too big for the store pot), yellow peppers, cucumbers, and squash from seedlings I bought at home depot. I've also interplanted some sunflowers, marigolds, nasturtium, and radishes in pots around the veggies in an attempt to keep pests away, seems to mostly be working and I have seen ladybugs and preying mantis.
As a new plant person, everything looked okay (growing leaves and flowers, getting bigger, climbing the trellises,etc) until my beefsteak tomatoes started ripening. They have a 'scab' on the bottom but it doesn't look like the blossom end rot I've seen online, it's just a little dry patch I can scratch at and see healthy tomato through. The one that I tested, because it turned red and Google said to pluck it, tasted good but was very small. (I'll try to add pictures). It had seeds inside and was the right texture for a tomato.
I am growing in a Southern California desert that is already hitting the mid 90s and will hit 110-120 during summer. Plants are in 20gallon containers, using drainage holes and gravel in the bottom ~3 inches, and vegetable and herb bagged mix to fill the remaining ~20 vertical inches. Containers were originally getting 10+hours of morning and midday sun, but started showing signs of heat damage, and I moved the containers to where they get 6-8 hours of direct sun, and more indirect/reflected light. I check them once in the morning and once at night, have terracotta ollas that I keep full, direct water as needed and use a moisture probe once a day, with a deep soak (until water runs from the drainage holes) once a week. I've been pruning the suckers and thinning thick areas to ensure airflow, without pruning too much at once. There was more than one leader stalk when I got this one, but I'm not letting any more form. I have applied a tomato specific liquid feed/fertilizer 3 times since planting in March.
Can someone reassure me that things are fine and the first fruit is always small? Or tell me what's going wrong? (Again, I'm new, so if I didn't include enough info, please let me know)
Pics: http://imgur.com/a/Jx1exmf