Question from trina
dear debra, can you help me with my tomatoes , they are always looking sick after a while and get a yellowing and browning off of the bottom leaves after a while they all get the disesse and die. what if anything can i do that is organic and safe too stop this dissease. ? thank you trina
Debra’s Answer
I’ve grown a lot of tomatoes. In California, we grew them up lattice on the side of a deck that was ten feet above the ground, and they would grow all the way up to the top of the deck. Around September we would pick tomatoes from the deck and not even go down to the garden.
Here in Florida, we’ve had varying success as we learn this new climate. This year our tomato plants are doing better than in past years.
We have problems here with nematodes, and so we find it more successful to grow tomatoes in pots or hanging baskets than planting them in the ground.
Also, tomatoes are heavy feeders. In California, we used to put fish heads under each tomato plant when we planted it. Then we would sprinkle lots of black pepper around the plants to keep our cat and other animals from digging up the fish heads.
I’m not sure what disease your tomatoes have. You might be able to get some help from a local organic nursery or garden club.
