I am living near Wyong NSW and have a bit of a problem with my tomatoes. I live in a retirement village which has veggie plots and have acquiried one. Lots of the tomatoes grown wilt from the bottom up, until al the plant is dead except for the tomato fruits. Does anyone know how I can avoid this?. The wilt seems to affect the quantity of tomatoes.
07 Jan 22 Celeste Archer (Canada - Zone 7b Mild Temperate climate)
More information is needed: for example amount of water... soil conditions. The MOST GENERIC, and probably most correct answer is LACK OF NUTRIENTS. Most people plant their plants (tomato) adding lots of compost and/or manure at the time of planting. The plant grows using the nutrients (some are washed away... maybe trees manage to confiscate some nutrients); but as the soil nutrition drops, the plant, still wanting to grow, starts to take nutrition from its lower leaves so it can grow leaves higher up. That is, it is deciding how to best used it's own self to maximize it chances of success; since it can't source the needed nutrition from the soil What you need to do is: ADD manure or compost or anything else you may have to put nutrition back into the soil. I rinse my coffee pot in the garden, I also try to drain things (like the water from soaking dried beans) into the garden. Manure/compost/nutrition (in any form) needs to be added at planting, middle of the season, and close to the end of the season to give that LAST burst of energy to bring the fruit/vegetables into full form. Don't feel like you need to spend a lot of money; get creative; in Canada we can stop by our local coffee shops and pick up the days used grinds for use in our gardens (free); you can add micro nutrients to your garden by filling a pail with water and adding a layer of rocks (rocks are minerals) stir and use this to water your plants. Left over tea bags, left over coffee grinds, stuff that you might rinse down the sink (food juices), blood from meat when you wash it before cooking it ..... anything like that all puts nutrition back in the soil.
31 Dec 21 Anonymous (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
They recommend you only plant tomatoes every 3 yrs in a bed. Helps reduce disease. I have the same problem with lavender, 3 plants going great, two weeks ago one just wilts and dies, ??
You probably need to shade it from the harsh sun. Give it a dose of Epsom salt and see what happens. It's not too late to get some new plants but this time put an umbrella to protect it from the harsh sun.
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