looks like it might be the fungus. it might be dying off from your treatment.

Agreed. As it dies off it will show just how wide spread it was.

So.....This is a GOOD thing? Are you suggesting that the brown spots are just patches of dying fungus?...or patches of dying leaves from the fungus?

Probably both. It's not a good thing that your plants have been effected as much as they have but that the fungus is dieing. Keep following the directions on the fungicide to make sure you get it all and pull/cut off all the infected foliage.

Both, Im not trying to start a war here, but I have seen many a time that organic was not going to do anything but cost you money, time, and plants. The plant doesnt know that whatever killed the disease, fungus, or critter wasnt organic. All it knows is it can go on doing what tomato plants do because nothing is killing it off. I would put Orthro garden max on that puppy now, not tomorrow.
Good luck on whatever your decision is.
Plant em if you got em.
Sam

'3-in-1 Garden Spray II' from 'Safer'

Never used it and not familiar with its effects but personally I am not a big fan of so-called combo products. First because they apply treatments that aren't needed while supposedly treating for what IS needed. In this case soap to kill insects rather than dedicated to killing the fungus. And second because to make them a combo they dilute all the ingredients so they end up doing nothing really well.

I prefer to use specific-to-the-problem remedies. In this case a sulfur based fungicide and there are several good ones on the market - both organic and synthetic. Bonide makes a good one. Then there is Serenade, Daconil, and Ortho Garden Disease Control just to name a few effective fungicides.

But since you used it and it appears to be having some effect, I would continues to remove as many affected leaves as possible to prevent reemergence and improve the air circulation within the plants and be sure to explore the many other IPM options for preventing and controlling powdery mildew.

Can't recall if I gave you this link in the other post so here it is again.

IPM Management of Powdery Mildew

Good luck.

Dave

The plants I sprayed are now all turning yellow. They look like within one day of spraying them that they are on the verge of dying, where a day ago they were beautiful plants with just a few yellow spots. I feel like I've totally screwed it all up. Feel like giving up. This sucks. I worked so hard to nurture these plants... It shouldn't be this hard. Sad and discouraged.

Sam - of course the plant doesn't care if it's organic or synthetic fungicide, but the downsides are that you kill beneficial fungi and also contaminate your food (tomatoes) with a potentially harmful chemical. But it's up to you whether or not you want to use it - I prefer to stay organic but if my all my hard work came up with a disease that was curable by a chemical spray, I might just use it.

ladon - hang in there. They can still recover. But diseases like this can be very discouraging I know.

You are lucky that you have such a long growing season so there is time to get more plants and have tomatoes later. But give some serious thought to using a regular fungicide spraying program from day one since fungus is so prevalent in your area.

Meanwhile I'd just set these aside with good sun exposure, keep them watered, keep the really bad leaves picked off, and see if they can't recover on their own.

Dave

Thanks for the encouragement Dave. I think I am going to pull these plants though. They are a mess now and it seems like whatever happened to the leaves is also affecting the trunks too. So far these are the only 2 of my garden that don't have any fruits yet, and I don't want their ickiness to spread to the other plants. I will check out some other fungal treatments and gently try and experiment with keeping the other plants on a regular preventative program, although I'm not entirely convinced that the treatment wasn't as damaging as the original condition. I'll start slow. I'll have to see what the garden center here has to offer for anti-fungal products. In the meantime, I'm posting photos of the plants as they are this morning, following one day of treatment. Don't know if you can see in the pic of the trunk, but it has dark streaks running through it with small bumps. All in all, not so pretty. Bummed, because this was my favorite tomato from last year. It's called Striped German, and it is one of the most amazing tomatoes I've ever tasted.

Don't get too discouraged, the sucker looks healthy.

Can you remove any healthy-looking suckers and root them away from your other healthy plants? It would save some time if you think the main plants can't be rescued even with removal of the affected leaves and very gentle treatment. I wouldn't spray them with anything until they take off and are growing enthusiastically.

I go out every morning to check my plants for disease. If I see any yellow or yellow-spotted leaves, I immediately remove them. When I spray them, it is with the understanding that coating the top and bottom of the leaves with the spray (any of which digdirt lists) prevents further infections. The sprays don't cure problems but they do curb the spread of the problem.

We just don't always know or anticipate the effect of "treatments" for diseases and problems. But if you want to see if the plants will survive and produce, it will be a great experience about taking precautions before buying wholly into any hype, here or in a store. Several people have pointed out that organic treatments can be just as toxic and damaging to plants as any non-organic treatments.

Ladon, I would not just yank and ask questions later. In my humble opinon, mix up two table spoons of ebson salts,and something like foliage pro liquid fert, a very week solution, 1 table spoon with the ebson salts in two gal of water, take off all the diseased leafs, and spray with orthro. The bumps dont mean anything. Try it, I believe it would work, this is what I would do.
Plant em if you got em.
Sam

Ladon, I would not just yank and ask questions later. In my humble opinon, mix up two table spoons of ebson salts,and something like foliage pro liquid fert, a very week solution, 1 table spoon with the ebson salts in two gal of water, take off all the diseased leafs, and spray with orthro. The bumps dont mean anything. Try it, I believe it would work, this is what I would do.
Plant em if you got em.
Sam