the picture on the cover are of Charles H. Wilber 20 + ft plants and close to 5/8 of ton fruit off the 4 plants.

I don't remove tomato plants until the entire plant has turned brown! That's partly because it's difficult for me to tell if the lower branches are browning because of age or maybe disease that hasn't affected the entire plant yet.

Also, tomato plants need nutrition while they're producing just as much as they do when they're growing toward maturity. I'm sure I've had tomato plants give up the ghost because they'd used up the nutrients they needed and I hadn't replenished it -- they're heavy feeders.

To be honest, I don't think I've ever seen a mature tomato plant that doesn't eventually have brown or shriveled leaves on the bottom!

Well, it looks like I shouldn't have put down my Big Boy then. I kept thinking it was diseased and would spread to other plants in the area. Oh well, live and learn. I think I'll go out and feed everybody else now. I did not pull up the Big Boy because it started to lightning and thunder and I wanted to get indoors. There's about a foot of plant left. I think I'll leave it in the ground just to see what happens.

Thank you for your comments.

sometime you need to just removed the affected plant but the leaves do turn brown like aulani said

Here is a link that might be useful: Tomato growing problems

aulani

If it's a diseased plant but you aren't sure, removing the affected leaves will help slow the progress down.

I appreciate your input, everyone. I just wondered about those brown leaves because the leaves pictured on the plants in the book I got were all brown except for the very top ones. That's what got me to thinking about it. Thanks for the link, eplina.

Aulani

Part of the natural aging process of a tomato plant is for the bottom leaves to turn yellow, then brown. They no longer help the plant and can be removed.

I don't recommend going the step ladder route. I triple stacked my cages once and I won't do it again. I almost fell off the ladder a few times (garden dirt gets soft after it rains). So, I just use 5.5 foot cages and let 'em flop. Besides you have to drag out the ladder to pick tomatoes. IMHO it's just not worth it.

Good luck.

Randy

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:90247}}

Wow, Randy, heck of a picture!!! But look how green and healthy your bottom leaves are.

My cages are the heavy duty ones I found at Wal Mart this year (got rid of all the wimpy ones, or use them on peonies.) Some of my tomatoes are in 5 ft. cages I built using concrete wire. I like those and need to make more. I use one of those big cages for my yard long beans.

Thanks. I'm glad I had the picture taken. It is a nice conversation piece. But, like I say I won't be doing it again.

In the picture it looks like I may have removed some of the bottom leaves on one of the plants. If I hadn't then, I did later. A lot of my plants get foliage diseases and I removed diseased leaves and branches. However, even if they don't get diseased the lower leaves/leaflets turn yellow, brown and die as the plant ages and I remove them.

Good luck.

Randy

Thanks Randy. That information about the yellow to brown leaves gives me hope. I honestly thought that entire plant was doomed and would spread the disease. That's okay. I learned something from you and the others. Appreciate it. My tomatoes look extra happy and refreshed today for some reason. We had a lot of rain last night from remnants of Hurricane Dolly.