I'm a novice, but from what I understand regular tomatoes don't live well in the summer, if at all. It might just be inevitable. :(

I have heard that cherry tomatoes can continue to produce along with Everglades Currant tomatoes (that Tom is an expert on!).

I just think that it's that time of year...and that tomatoes are annuals...

Hi Nessz and Chellamaral,

Thank you for your responses! I think that I am still ok from a heat perspective though as I am zone 9a coastal. I should have said that in the posting :-) In fact, incredibly I've still got swiss chard, brussel sprouts and cabbage hanging on.

Best,

Elizabeth

Hi - you did not say the variety of tomatoes? The damage looks like disease to me, not pests (tho some sucking/chewing insects can transmit diseases).

Some tomato varieties are more susceptible to disease than others, & there are so many: bacterial, fungal & viruses as well. I gave up on heirlooms after 3 seasons in a row of failure & went back to VFFNTA hybrids - the letters after the variety name indicate the various disease/pest resistances.

Are they container-grown? There may be an issue in the soil - or they may be root bound, but it sure looks they're goners to me...

I think it must be something other than the heat. Here in Apopka mine are doing fine. It looks like they are inside a pool enclosure but I've read on the forum that whitelies are small enough to get through the screen. Could it be TYLCV from a whitefly infestation?

Hi Elizabeth

I don't know what you have, but this is the first year that a lot of home gardeners are reporting on this problem, some have worse than others. I think is due to the warm winter, no rain and big winds, I think is airborne but I am no expert.:)

When I first noticed I used Serenade, Green Cure, Dr Bonner's soap and did not looked like it help. Then I used once an oil based organic spray, other time I used pure neem oil, and another time I used Actinovate. None of these sprays fully worked but I kept cutting the leaves cleaning the pruners with alcohol each time. All the tomato plants are producing very well despite the problem with the leaves, the ones that looked more sensitive I covered them with a light row cover. Big tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, hybrid and heirloom are producing well.

I talked to a local organic gardener with a lot of experience and he said that whatever it is, it is not fully killing the tomatoes and that this year the heirlooms did best for him better than his trusted hybrids and he was spraying with baking soda mixed with oil...

Here is some photos of my tomatoes today, I also keep them picked just in case of bugs creating a problem.

Small and medium varieties hybrids and heirlooms

Big varieties hybrids and heirlooms

A brandywine still giving tomatoes...

Silvia

Hi Carol, thank you for the thoughts re: varieties. I have over 10 varieties this year and will double check which ones have done the best and the worst!

ApapJim, appreciate the whitefly thought. These are actually right outside of a pool enclosure so that is a possibility most definitely.

Silvia, will try the baking soda and oil and just keep pruning, pruning, pruning. As always your tomatoes do look very prolific!!!! Well done.

A huge thanks to everyone for their input. On an up note I did get enough tomatillos and japs to make a roasted salsa last night so that was encouraging :-)

Elizabeth

I'm no master gardener, but looks like it might be some type of blight. Cut the stems that are wilty length wise, and then one that is healthy (disinfect the knife between cuts!). If the healthy one is green and the unhealthy one is some different color, i think that means you've got a blight. And there's not much you can do about it.

I have had the same problem and it seems to be the larger heirlooms that it has hit the worst. It has been such a productive year I really have no complaints. I notice these plants seem to attract more of the adult stink bugs but I never know if it is cause or effect. Thankfully I have not had hardly any nymphs this year poking holes in the best fruit. All my large tomato plants are going to the trash this weekend. Romas and juanne flame still seem to be chugging along and the everglades never stopped this year they are almost invasive.

Thanks Slopfrog and Rednofl,

I've unfortunately not had much of a productive year, but it is much cooler for me than for most on this forum, so I am still hoping. I am pruning HARD any foliage that looks curly and an odd color and sending it to the trash. Slopfrog, I'll try the trick of checking for blight. If it is, do I have to get rid of the dirt too, or just the plant?

Elizabeth