Well from the pics they look like they weren't hardened off well. Lots of sun and wind burn on the leaves is a sure sign of environmental damage. Plus heavy downpours and hard rains can kill new transplants if they aren't protected from it. Older established plants can handle it but not new transplants so when severe weather is coming many will protect the new plants with something like a gallon milk jug or liter por bottle with the bottom cut off.

They may recover and send out new growth or it you don't want to wait just replace them. If you decide to wait snip off all the dead/damaged branches and let new growth develop from the center core. Either way cut off any branches that touch the ground and mound up the soil around the bare stem.

Your soil mix isn't at all impressive looking - very coarse and woody - but pictures can be very mis-leading about that. Is that granular fertilizer laying on top of the soil? It does little to no good there. How much was mixed well into the planting hole? Well mixed in. Excess fertilizer can also burn kill plants especially if the roots or stems come into direct contact with it.

Also do some research into cutworm protection for new transplants.

Hope this is of some help.

Dave

That is really helpful. Thank you. I wish I'd known we were going to have a lot of rain. I'd have protected the transplants. But, as seems typical for this area since I've been here this past year, the storm blew in out of nowhere. Since I wasn't the one that hardened them off (it was done by the nursery) I can't say much about that part.

Some of the fertilizer is on the top of the soil. I dropped the bag and it was still open a little. I got as much of it up and throughout the rest of my soil but I missed some. Aside from what you can see in the photo, I used the fertilizer as directed. I moved what spilled to a different raised bed.

The soil was delivered. I maybe should have done a little better research on it but there's not a lot of places to get bulk soil around my area. But since my zucchini and okra and peppers and herbs all seem to be doing fantastic I don't feel like it's actually the soil. I've had my hands in it while planting and it doesn't feel coarse. I have basil in the same raised bed and it's beautiful. I'm going to cut some for use in tonight's dinner, in fact! My point is that I really don't think it is the soil (but hey, I'm new so I might be wrong as heck).

Anyway, I'll give them a few more days to a week or two. I'll go snip off the bad stuff and give them some TLC. I will see if I can't find another jug or something to place over them (only have one empty milk jug that I saved) and see if I can't protect them if any more blah weather hits. I swear, the chance for rain could be 0% and there will still be a random 20 minute shower in the late afternoon at least once a week here. But I'll see if I can maybe salvage them. If not, I guess I'll stick to to plants or go get another couple.

Thanks for the response and not being rude or anything. I'm starting to feel like I'm more of a black thumb when it comes to tomatoes. I'll give your suggestions a try and see where it leads me. Thanks!

We all feel like black thumbs starting out and even after 50+ years of gardening I still manage to kill things now and then. So don't get discouraged. It is all a learning process. Keep some good notes this year and you will be surprised how much they will help you next year. Good luck and remember you are supposed to be having fun. ;-)

Dave

Amber,

Tomorrow is Saturday and I bet there is a farmer's market located near you. This early in the season you will find many vendors offering tomato plants for sale. These IMHO are much better than the ones from the big box stores as they were raised by locals who also have gardens and sell their extra inventory. My garden is also in NC, Ashe County, and we have a nice F.M. every Saturday in West Jefferson. Good Luck!

I got these from a locally owned and operated nursery that started these I their own greenhouses. I think I maybe should have hardened them a bit more. But I'll check out my local farmers market and see if I can get a couple new plants.

Agree with Dave. They sure don't look like they were hardened off properly. When you bought them where were they? In the greenhouse still or out in the elements? If the former, then if you get more transplants from them then you should let them hang out in their pots for a few days to see how they respond while unprotected. That way you can easily move them into a more sheltered area if needed.

Also in your initial post you mentioned you want to do some canning. First, if do a search here you'll find lots of discussions about the best or favorite tomatoes for canning. It may make you rethink planting Romas. Second, if you want to do some reading about canning or have a question then I suggest you head over to the Harvest Forum. It's the forum for canning/preserving.

Rodney

theforgottenone1013: when I got them, they were outside. If I do go get new transplants (which I may be getting some for mother's day since my hubby knows I'm having issues with the ones I planted) then I'll be sure to do some extra hardening off before I attempt to put them in. Next year I think I will start from seed. I started my zucchini and okra from seed and they're absolutely great. Zero trouble with them. And zero trouble with my herbs or peppers from the same nursery. No clue what the deal with the tomatoes is.

Sometimes I use a plastic clothes basket turned upside down to help shield young plants from a deluge that I am unable to avoid until they get some growth .

Hey, that basket idea is awesome! Holes for air circulation but they don't get pelted by intense rain suddenly. If I can't do that, I'll see about some kind of shade cloth I can put over the cages so they get sun but not too much sun.

I think the problem has been due to too much rain and maybe poor drainage of the soil. This condition has led to root rot. It happens because water logging deprives the roots from oxygen. Sun and wind might/can cause damage but won't kill the plant. Especially when you mentioned that they plants were outside already when you got them. JMO

Sey

I check the soil twice a day. Morning when I get up and at night around sunset when the day is cooling off. Unless it's pouring rain, of course. Then I check on it when the rain stops to make sure the soil is draining and not leaving and puddles or something.The soil is definitely draining well or my other plants in the same bed would be dying off as well. It's just the tomatoes that seem to be a problem. I protected the other two last night and they are doing well today. Nice and perky the way tomatoes should be. I think maybe the smaller ones just weren't outside as long as the guy at the nursery thought they were. They may have needed a little extra hardening off. I'm going to get new plants (though I feel like I'm not gonna see any 'maters til August at this rate). I'll be sure to harden them off myself for a few days and protect them the first couple days they're in the bed until they recover from the transplant.

Ditto Rodney's comment that since you have to replace them there are much better varieties for canning available. Romas are noted for being blah flavored so for all the work involved in canning you might as well end up with something that actually tastes good.

Dave

I'll definitely look for some better varieties for sauce making. And after a thread I read on a different forum I definitely think I want to find a great variety. I knew I didn't know much about tomatoes but I didn't realize how many varieties there really were. I'll look for one of the more favored kind that is reported to have good taste. I decided last night I'd love to give eating tomatoes another shot. Thanks for all the info. I really, really appreciate it.

You could just buy canned tomatoes...they're pretty good. Save the space for tasty ones.

I use a lot of tomato sauce and canned tomatoes. We love Italian and salsa and such. So I'd love the be able to can myself. This year is sort of a test year to practice and get some gardening experience. Next year I plan to make a few more raised beds for extra space for tomatoes and green beans and stuff I'm not doing this year.

Amber Roberts: "when I got them, they were outside."

It can take a day or two for the full effects of sunburn to manifest. They could have been put outside by the vendor, suffered damage, and then showed it once you put them in your garden. Or maybe they were sold outside on a day when the sun wasn't that strong or were under some kind of awning or something that you just didn't notice at the time, then you brought them home and exposed them to really bright direct sun?

I told my dad and he said it sounded like I mishandled the transplant since all 4 ended up dead. He's been growing tomatoes all my life in crappy Oklahoma clay soil....but I've got some new tomatoes out now. German johnson, sweet 100 cherries, chocolate sprinkle cherries (something new I think), and a gorgeous black prince that is very established and has buds and is close to blossoming. Made sure to adjust them to MY yard's conditions before putting them in after the sun was setting. They were all in direct sun when bought but I didn't want to risk it. This morning they still look healthy (put them out last night). We'll see how they do their first full day in the bed. Thanks for all of the help and suggesting looking into some different varieties.