I need help really fast. I started from seed, (THANKS BRAD!!), 61 tomato plants and they did very well. When they became fairly big, it was time to put them out. I planted them and put pails around them. It's not the best soil, but I do believe there is sufficient manure mixed in. They did fine for about the first week. The problems began when we had drizzly weather with a lot of wind. The wind didn't do any harm except the fact that it dried the soil out. So...I made sure the soil was always moist and mulched around the plants with grass clippings to help retain moisture. The plants have turned a pale green and yellow and some leaves shrivelled. I think I may lose all of them. I thought it was the funny weather, but things have only gotten worse. PLEASE HELP! I don't want to make waste of all of the seeds which Brad so kindly sent me. What's missing or am I too late to save my poor sick plants? Thank you so very much!

-- Abigail F. (treeoflife@sws.nb.ca), June 12, 2000

Answers

Abigail: Did you harden the plants off before planting them outside? Some of mine, those that I didn't harden off as long, just put them out in wall o waters, then recently took those off, are yellowing a bit, but will snap out if it eventually. What part of the country are you in? Jan

-- Jan in Colorado (Janice12@aol.com), June 12, 2000.

Golly! Yellowed leaves generally means a lack of nitrogen, though not always. Maybe the grass clippings, not composted I guess, were leaching nitrogen. I would try a water soluble fertilizer, such as Miracle-gro, or Rapid-gro, or something similar. Give each plant a gallon to as much as 2. If this doesn't do it, I would next expect a blight of some sort. Call your County Extension Service, listed under the State University, (I suspect the same thing is available in Canada), and ask their advice. Do not despair! Summer is just beginning! E-mail direct if you think I might be able to help further. GL!

-- Brad (Homefixer@SacoRiver.net), June 12, 2000.

Are you sure the soil was dry underneath where the roots are? I only asked because you said it was drizzly, I wouldn't have thought they needed that much water. Check the bottom of the stalk at the dirt line and if it is shriveled it usually means too much water. It also makes the leaves yellow. Hard to tell without seeing them. I hope some make it for you.

-- Jill (AZ) (lance1_86404@yahoo.com), June 12, 2000.

Good advice Jill. I would try seaweed/fish emulsion sprayed on the leaves before I used Miracle Grow, or any other chemically enhanced product. As a foliar feed it is excellent, and has the benefit of not adding water to the roots, if over-watering was a problem. Tom plants can, and will, drink as much as a gallon a day, minimum, during production.

-- Anne (HT@HM.com), June 12, 2000.

Sounds like too much water.....

-- sue (sulandherb@aol.com), June 14, 2000.

I hate to say this...but they're dead...that is all except two sorry looking plants. I put them out after the 'last' frost and covered them at night. Then I went to British Columbia and there was a frost while I was gone, but those at home didn't know and so you can guess the rest. They looked pretty good when I left, but they are definitely dead, so I went out and replaced 48 of them, (of course they couldn't be the same variety, UNFORTUNATELY!!). I hope to keep the remaining two alive, but whether they will live or not I do not know. I'm am in deep distress over this. There is nothing worse than losing 61 tomato plants that you began from seed. What a lot of wasted effort!! :o( Oh well...Now I'll know to be absolutely sure about the last frost before I put them out, (although the plants were very large and definitely ready to be put out). Thanks everyone and I don't think that even miracle grow can help them now as they have turned a funny colour and the leaves are shrivelled up. Maybe next year....

P.S. I'm in New Brunswick

-- Abigail F. (treeoflife@sws.nb.ca), June 15, 2000.

I forgot to mention in response to one of the posts: The stalk was not shivelled, only the leaves. I'm pretty sure it was frost, but if anything can still be done, which I doubt, please let me know.

-- Abigail F. (treeoflife@sws.nb.ca), June 15, 2000.

Abigail, I had a little tomato plant that got frosted badly. I just left it -too busy to pull it- and it is now coming back and is very sturdy. If it's not too late you might try leaving one or two just to see what might happen. Good luck.

-- Peg (NW WI) (wildwoodfarms@hushmail.com), June 16, 2000.