By Tracy Turner | Ohio State Chow Line
“I’ve grown tomato plants in my central Ohio backyard for the past couple of years, as part of my efforts to make healthier food choices for my family. But this year, the leaves on the tomato plants are discolored and dying. What’s going on with the plants, and can my tomatoes be saved?”
It’s wonderful that you are making healthy food choices for your family. Tomatoes are excellent sources of vitamins A, C, and K, and potassium and folate.
The tomato is also a wonderful source of the antioxidant lycopene, which has been linked to reducing the risk of heart disease and some types of cancer, and maintaining a healthy blood pressure.
Without having seen your specific tomato plants, I can offer some suggestions to possibly address the issues occurring in your backyard garden.
Rainfall problems
Due to the historic rainfall the region has experienced this year, it’s likely that your tomatoes have been impacted by too much moisture.
Tomatoes can suffer several problems related to heavy rainfall, which can shorten their harvest period and affect their yield, said Timothy McDermott, educator, Ohio State University Extension.
Keep tomatoes healthy
There are a few things that backyard growers, community gardeners and urban farmers can do to keep their tomato plants healthy and productive through heavy rain periods.
Mulch can be used as a barrier to keep soilborne fungal spores off of lower tomato plant leaves. You can use organic or nonorganic mulch, placed around the base of your plant.
You can also prune the lower leaves of your tomato plant to minimize lower leaf contact with soil.
“Pruning promotes air circulation,” McDermott said. “But when pruning, use sterilized pruners to remove any diseased leaves, and put diseased leaves in the garbage, not the compost after pruning.”
Fertility issues
Also, take note of any fertility issues that your tomato plants might be facing due to heavy, excessive rainfall, such as what the region has faced this year.
“Constant rainfall can leach fertility from soil, making it unavailable to the plants,” McDermott said. “Make sure you monitor your plant’s growth and health carefully to avoid a nutrient deficiency. Foliar feeding can be used when the ground is too saturated to irrigate with water-soluble fertilizer.”
McDermott also recommends monitoring tomato plants for signs of blight and removing any affected leaves you see.
Chow Line is a service of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and its outreach and research arms, OSU Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. Send questions to Chow Line, c/o Tracy Turner, 364 W. Lane Ave., Suite B120, Columbus, OH 43201, or turner.490@osu.edu.
