Yellowing tomato leaves

[Cutecumber]

Headfry - the stem colouring and the wrinkled skin does sound like blight to me. Just keep checking the fruits, I suggest. Try and pick them earlier than you would normally, just in case.

I have had blight on my tomatoes for about three weeks, but I have only had to remove one whole plant on which all fruits succumbed. On the rest (of the large-fruited ones) I have removed most of the leaves and any side stems showing symptoms. There's been nothing slimy or black on mine either.

I suspect, because the weather here has been dry and warm (until this week!), the spread of infection has been halted slightly and this has allowed some fruits to ripen. I am picking fruits early - once I see come colour coming - and ripening them off the plant. So far, none of these have gone on to develop blight, unlike some of those left on the remaining plants.

It is a very weird thing, blight.

[TPeers]

If I remember correctly Blight is a fungal desease - so if you can 'clean' the fruits *before* the spores infect them, you should be able to salvage some of the crop. The problem of course is that by the time you can see damage it is too late to do much!

[Headfry]

See, this is the odd thing.....you mention salvaging the crop and instant death of the plants, apart from the brown stems and odd 1 or 2 marked tomatoes, the plants are growing well and are healthy above the brown stem bits- with new flowers and tomatoes that are growing very well! I'm not sure that I want to 'junk' these plants.

[Hazel at the Hill]

This seems to be working for me, at least......

Know what you mean, HF - isn't it tricky being new to this! It sounds like our tommies have done exactly what yours have - and I've been loathe to ditch what might be good plants.

My solution has been to keep an exceptionally close eye on the tomato plants and snip off any leaf that looks like its getting brown patches, and to snip off if stems are going brown (ruthless, but less so than junking the whole plant) then giving what's left a whacking good going over with dithane spray (yes I KNOW I wanted to be organic, but if it's that or no tomatoes at all, the spray wins!)

The tomatoes have happily resprouted fromt the 'armpits' where necessary, and I did read that stripping off some of the leaves aids the plants anyway, so I couldn't see that doing too much harm.

Might be unconventional - might not work - in fact, might be a right load of old nonsense, but it seems to be working for me so far so good.........

[Headfry]

I have left mine alone, yellow leaves removed, but thats all. As, the plants are growing so well.....see what happens, even with the brown stems the leaves and tomatoes are growing well! it's all so very odd. I have grown tomatoes for about 20 years and never had this problem before. It's good to come up with a new problem....I am still learning! fab

[moggssue]

Headfry - my tomatoes are exactly the same as yours, so whatever it is you're not alone! I ditched just one plant out of 7 - it was pretty far gone and the fruits were all splotchy - but the rest, other than the brown stems and a few wrinkly yellow leaves, are really healthy. We ate the first tomatoes last night with no ill effects (I cut them open first to check they were okay) and there are plenty of others just beginning to ripen and lots of flowers as well. If you think of any other theories do let me know and good luck in getting some tasty toms!!

[bramble]

You also have to remember the very wet summer we have had, that will not have been very help[ful, The summer, (such as it was) is also coming to an end so the tomato leaves will be starting to loose their colour, but if the stem, and some of the fruit are brown then it is almost certain to be blight. Carry on and harvest what you can.