Gosh, I'm no disease expert, but I would definitely amend that soil with some compost. Then I'd plant something not in the tomato family. Maybe some corn, squash or some beans growing up a tomato cage.

Make sure to disinfect the tomato cages and supports with a little bleach mixed into some water.

Do you have another area in your garden that would be good to try a different tomato variety. Maybe one of those disease resistant ones? Good luck!!

Thanks so much for your response! The soil in that bed should be fantastic. It has plenty of compost and mulch...the other plants (serrano and Hatch peppers, and cherry tomatoes) in the bed are thriving. Maybe I'll try some beans in the cages. I just hate staring at that empty spot!

And BTW, I thought Celebrity was supposed to be disease resistant? They were very tall, and shielded the other plants. It's possible that they got some drift herbicide from the neighbor's yard.

I have two new, larger beds on the other side of the yard that I'm preparing for next year. One will be tomatoes, the other potatoes and onions!

If your neighbor is guilty of herbicide overspray, then I would venture that you do not have CMV. A court case here in GA found the neighbor liable for damages in a civil case. You also need to know what chemical your neighbor used. Some are contact only and are essentially gone in a couple of days or at the next good rain. There are some that stay in the soil for years, killing new plants.

Ted

Thanks, Ted. I really do think that herbicide was the case. My neighbors and I don't "speak" anymore, so I'll probably never know for sure. The only plants affected were the tall ones between the fence and the rest of the garden. We noticed that the young tree closest to that area had curled, brown new growth around the same time. Thankfully, the growth since then is fine.