Tomatoes- Advice needed

[Rodney]

Ok dont know if this wil work but I took a few photos, the leafs are turning yellow and one set is turning black I also have over crowding and need advise on thin down the leafs.




My Pride and Joy




First tiem i've even grown anything so any tips for now and end of season welcome.

[Rodney]

My Chilli Plants all started the same time but as you can see there are two at the far end that have shot up while the two nearest are only a foot tall. All 4 plants are producing fruit.




Mystery plant started growing in the garden, think its a Courgette but Fruit keeps dying.

[Kristen]

Mystery plant is Courgette - or some other kind of squash / gourd

[Rodney]

thanks for the info - seems they don't get much bigger than u see in the picture then start to rot and die... Been reading posts and i think garlic is on the menu for the winter...noticed a lot of flowers on my tomatoes plant and the fruit seems to be coming through but still small... is it possible to have to main which will affect the over all size ?


sorry new to this green finger fancy so you'll all have be bare with me

[Capsid]

Your toms look fine, I wouldn't worry about the black on the leaves, I think this is normal as the lower leaves die off, which you could remove. Anyway the fruit themselves are testament to how well the plant is doing! The mystery plant looks like a pumpkin to me.

You can't have too many tomatoes IMO, the fruit won't set or develop if conditions aren't right.

[Alice]

Rodney, you're chillies are fine - all looking good. The mystery plant is a courgette (or squash of some kind) If they are dying off at that size it's because they are not fertilized. Do you have bees and others buzzing about them. If you're short of insects you can go round them yourself with a little paint brush and give them all a tickle in the middle. But the weather is much better and things should improve for squash and insects.
Your yellow tomatoes do look sick. I'd put my guess on magnesium deficiency. Buy some Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) very cheap from any chemistl Dissolve 3 teaspoons in a pint of water and spray it on the tomatoes every day for a week. If magnesium is the problem you will see improvement from day 1.
Only other guess is - are they drowned - like soaking wet.
Hope it works out for you Rodney. Let us know how you get on.

[Matt.]

I'd remove all the iffy tomato leaves. They aren't needed and it will help get sun on the fruit. As for the courgette I think single plants struggle. If you don't have a male flower at the same time as a female you'll get an unfertilised flower causing it to die. Always grow at least two preferably more to increase your chances.

[SarzWix]

I'd agree with Alice on the diagnosis - magnesium deficiency. Epsom Salts is the answer, and the quickest way to get it into the plants is spraying it on the leaves. But, you can sprinkle a teaspoon full round the base of each plant instead, and water it in. This will work a little more slowly.
After that, you should be feeding weekly with a tomato feed such as Tomorite, which has all the elements the plants need to stay healthy & fruit well. You can feed peppers, chillis & courgette/squashes with the same stuff.

[Alison]

Single courgettes are fine so long as insects can get to the flowers (otherwise you have to practice plant sex!). Is yours in the greenhouse or outside. If inside then I suggest you moving out, they prefer it at this time of year. It sometimes can take them a while to get going but once they are there is no stopping them. Make sure you feed and water well in dry weather - well do the feeding whenever but you know what I mean.

[Rodney]

Wow so much info thanks, I have removed the dodgy loking leafs from my toms. The Mystery plant I dug up from the garden and potted inside the green house has now moved back out side.

I Just painted windowleen on my glasshouse after a neighbour suggested it, he said the plants were burning. Bought a bulb of garlic from local shop ready for the coming season. Planning on making a frame to grow more fruit & veg.


Any suggestions how I can convince the rest of the family they dont need a lawn and would do better with a vegge plot

[steelsy]

my chillis have really struggled this year - some haven't even made it a foot off the ground - yours look wonderful!