Tomato woes. Please Help!

[Schultz]

Alright. I am very heart broken with this recent problem with our tomato plants. Everything started out so good this year and our tomato plants were doing so great! We planted four started plants first while we were waiting for our seedlings to grow enough to plant and they did really great with about 3 of them getting to over 6 feet tall! they were healthy and thiving having tons of fruits all over. Until last week. We had a rash of bad storms that dumped a ton of rain causing the first flooding conditions we have had to deal with this year. The water ponded mostly just around our garden since this year I invested (about $350) in 10 yards of top soil to build the level of our garden up so that we wouldn't have the flooding that that killed our garden last year. After two days the water was finally absorbed into the soil but thats also the same day I discovered the first four plants had wilted. The first one completely died the other three are still alive but about half wilted.
The rest of the 26 mater plants are ok but have developed this yellowing and black spots on the lower leaves of the plant. I don't know what is going on this year but after investing so much money on soil and the time and labor it took to get the soil into my garden, I am very desperate to find out what in the world I can possibly do to save our tomato crop. We have run out of just about every tomato product in our cellar and we are deperate to have a good crop this year so we can replentish our stock.


This is just after the big storm hit

These following pictures are a few days after the water receeded

 

[hoodat]

It looks as though the rain splashed mud onto the lower leaves and started a blight. there are many strains of blight and hopefully this is not one of the fast acting ones. Start by removing all of the lower leaves that have been infected. Don't burn or compost them, just put them in the garbage bin away from the plants. Keep an eye on the healthy plants and you may well get a good crop yet. At least those tomatos that are well developed should ripen. A heavy mulching with something clean like straw may keep it from happening again if you get another storm.

 

[lesa]

Don't panic, yet! And Welcome! Take hoodat's advice- cut all the bottom branches off the plants and get some hay under those plants. I don't think all is lost- good job with building up the garden soil, surely everything would have drowned otherwise. Good luck!

 

[Schultz]

Thanks very much, glad to hear all is not lost. It is raining now but will try to get a good batch of hay as a start and cut the bottom leaves. One plant was taken out today, it was almost dead, no leaves at all. I picked off the tomatoes and will let them ripen in the window.

 

[MaxBlast]

They should be ok. My tomaotes react to too much heat and dryness too.

Maybe consider a raised bed in the area.. even just 4 inches might redirect the water..

I prefer small leaves for mulch.. they are free and just add more when needed.. I used straw before and love the leaves..

 

[journey11]

Wow, that's a lake you've got there!

Good advice you've gotten already.

ETA: and !

 

[vfem]

You have gotten fabulous advice! Pull bad leaves, and mulch mulch mulch!!!

That pond you have forming, how quickly does it receed? If it builds up and then is gone within a few hours after the rain, building up the soil is good enough. But if that water sits much longer then that, especially over a day, you'll want to probably think of some low raised beds right there... just for protection for too much water.

BTW, my tomatoes look like that. I sprayed with Neem oil, removed the bad leaves to the trash can, and watered with some epson salt solution. Most of my plants are looking better, one or 2 are still rough, but I'll give them another solution mix and spray tomorrow.

Good luck!

 

[Schultz]

You have gotten fabulous advice! Pull bad leaves, and mulch mulch mulch!!!

That pond you have forming, how quickly does it receed? If it builds up and then is gone within a few hours after the rain, building up the soil is good enough. But if that water sits much longer then that, especially over a day, you'll want to probably think of some low raised beds right there... just for protection for too much water.

BTW, my tomatoes look like that. I sprayed with Neem oil, removed the bad leaves to the trash can, and watered with some epson salt solution. Most of my plants are looking better, one or 2 are still rough, but I'll give them another solution mix and spray tomorrow.

Good luck!

The water is usually gone in a couple days in that area but I have only had this problem once this year since I have fixed a lot of problem areas in the drainage ditches in our area and on my land. We are 6" above normal in rainfall in Indiana this year. The 3rd wettest June in recorded history.

I'm going to try the epsom salt solution too. What is the mix ratio on that? I ordered some copper soap concentrate that should be here in a 1-3 days, will this do the same thing as neem oil or should I buy some.


I'm very grateful for all the great advice so far. I have been out working on the situation and came across another concern. Some of the worst plants have what I'd compare to a rash on it's stems. Bumps really, not discolored bumps, but is this part of the problem also? Should I take these branches and/or whole plants out? Again thanks to everyone for all the great advise!

ETA: Thanks for the warm welcomes too! I came here via BYC! We (the Wife and I) are very active members of that site.

 

[ducks4you]

You live about 3 hours east of ME--we been hit by the same weather systems as you. (I live SSE of Urbana, IL.) DEFINITELY mulch--if you have trouble buying mulch, put ALL of your grass clippings around your tomatoes and mulch in between them. It looks as if you have soil that likes to crack after it dries out. The mulch will help that, too.
I agree with the raised beds--but that's for NEXT year. Don't worry--if you take the advice above you'll still have a good crop for 2010!!

 

[Schultz]

You live about 3 hours east of ME--we been hit by the same weather systems as you. (I live SSE of Urbana, IL.) DEFINITELY mulch--if you have trouble buying mulch, put ALL of your grass clippings around your tomatoes and mulch in between them. It looks as if you have soil that likes to crack after it dries out. The mulch will help that, too.
I agree with the raised beds--but that's for NEXT year. Don't worry--if you take the advice above you'll still have a good crop for 2010!!

Oh yeah, definetly, I went and purchased 6 bales of straw this morning. I did what I thought was raise the bed this year by about 6" is this what is being refered to? the top picture was taken at the very end of the storm and is showing the pond that formed around the garden instead of in it this year but maybe I didn't get it raised enough. I added 10 yards this year as it was all that I could really afford to do. (layed off tradesman) Next year another 10 yards will be added on top of that to get it even higher.

I see the ducks in your avitar, are you here via BYC also? If so, we use the same user name on there as well (Schultz)