Some Common Tomato DiseasesCurly Top Virus photo by Marybeth Janerich, Wasatch Community GardensCause:
This is a virus that is spread by a small insect called a Beet Leafhopper. Once the virus infects a plant, it will die. It often happens early in the season.
Signs that you may have curly top virus: You may notice one of your tomatoes is failing. The leaves curl up and are a purplish color underneath, and you might find the plant is producing premature, small, leathery fruits.
Troubleshooting:
Pull the entire plant up and throw it in the trash, not the compost or the yard waste bin. Sorry guys, this is a fatal one.
Early Blight photo by Marybeth Janerich, Wasatch Community GardensCause:
This is a fungal disease spread by spores that can overwinter in your garden. On the leaves, you will see brown spots like a “bullseye”, sometimes with holes in the center. Early blight usually starts at the bottom of the plant on the older leaves and then moves up the plant.
Troubleshooting:
Proper plant spacing can help prevent early blight, but here’s more from Marybeth:
“If the spores are blown into the garden or are in the soil from last year, spacing plants far apart won’t do much to reduce getting early blight. I’d say bottom pruning can help more, but most importantly, I’d recommend that gardeners practice proper crop rotation; don’t plant tomatoes where tomatoes have been planted for the past three years, especially if you’ve had early blight previously. Gardeners can also look for varieties that are early blight resistant,” recommends Marybeth.
With a bucket of bleach water (recommended disinfecting ratio is ¼ cup of bleach to every gallon of water) and your pruners, cut each affected leaf off and throw it in the trash. After each cut, wipe down your pruning blades with the bleach water. You can also use bleach wipes, you know, the kind that kills 99% of germs.
You can also buy a copper fungicide treatment, which comes as a liquid you spray on the plant. Be sure to follow the instructions on the label.
Regarding early blight, if it’s caught and treated early enough, “it’s like having high cholesterol — it’s manageable and not the end of the world for the plant,” says Marybeth. “It can be fatal if left untreated too long.”
Happy Tomato Season!
These are just a few of the most common tomato problems you may run into during the growing season. As mentioned above, if you follow gardening best practices — starting your garden with healthy soil, planting tomato starts with proper spacing, and setting a consistent watering cycle — you will have fewer problems, or better yet none at all!
In addition to the Wasatch Community Gardens’ workshops, you can find further information on tomato pests and problems on the Utah State University Extension site.
Photos used in this blog were provided by Marybeth Janerich, and are part of her tomato curriculum for Wasatch Community Gardens classes.
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