tomatoes grown too close together

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Permalink Reply by Michelle W. Flannery on July 21, 2009 at 5:26pm

Gillian, I get yellowing leaves on my tomato plants. I don't think it's always a sign of disease. I think it is sometimes a process of age. I think removing them is optional. I don't bother removing mine, and my tomato harvests are still huge.

The yellowing leaves may be from over-watering or an excess of retained moisture in the ground at the interior of the plants. If the ground area is heavily shaded because the plants are full and close together, it indicates that less watering is necessary. Try to stick your finger in there and see if the ground is dry or slightly damp, and remember too, that surface dryness doesn't indicate how much water is being held in the soil beneath the surface. I have dug down several inches in dry soil before and found the under soil to be quite moist. Did you add any moisture hold/release additives to the soil before planting? If so, that will make a difference too.

If I haven't been clear, pull the yellowing leaves/stems or leave them. I don't think it will make a difference unless you have an indication of disease (a whole different can of worms!!)

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Permalink Reply by Joel LeGrand on July 22, 2009 at 4:41pm

I plant my tomatoes 14"-18" apart and I always have some yellow leaves . I think the plant is removing leaves it does not need. I have heard of gardeners removing all leaves below the lowest tomato, even the healthy green ones. I am not that brave yet, maybe next year.

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Permalink Reply by Gillian on July 22, 2009 at 5:21pm

Thanks Joel and Michelle -
Thanks for the advice! It is so nice to have gardeners to chat with! This site makes gardening so much more fun! My tomatoes are only about 12 inches apaprt, but maybe because they are growing so wild they seem closer together! I only water the tomatoes with a soaker hose buried beneath the mulch, about twice a week if there is no rain, so dont think they are overwatered. I am tending to cut away the yellowed leaves simply because it makes it easier to see the ripe tomatoes!

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Permalink Reply by Michelle W. Flannery on July 22, 2009 at 10:20pm

Gillian, I forgot to mention that all of mine are planted close together this year. In some ways I like it, in others, it's a headache! I am having great difficulty getting to many of the ripe tomatoes because of all the "bush" in the way. Actually, after I read this post of yours, I started thinking that I needed to prune my bushes back, and I think by this weekend, that's what I'll be doing. I've got too many hard to find tomatoes rotting on the vines.

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Permalink Reply by Gillian on July 23, 2009 at 6:28pm

Michelle,
It seems like such a waste, and my hubby always seems to come past and see a branch with baby tomatoes on and say - wow why are you cutting that off? I have been trying to cut back the yellowing leaves from the bottom so that i can see the fruit, and it seems to make the bushes branch out the sides and top more. when I eventually get to the end of this crop it is going to be a bundle of string trying to get the entire mass to be contained!

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Permalink Reply by Michelle W. Flannery on July 23, 2009 at 7:49pm

I really feel for you Gillian, but I don't know what to say. I'm feeling overwhelmed right now with the sheer amount of food I'm harvesting and trying to process - and that's besides what I'm giving away. Maintaining the garden has become a distant idea given the fact that I'm working from morning to late night processing all this produce. So my only recommendation is to do what you can and just find a way to let any stress about the rest go, and work toward better planning/preparedness next year (preaching to myself here). Each year I learn more than I knew the year before, and I take that knowledge forward to the next year and try to do better. Although it's an exhausting process, that's what I love best about gardening.

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Permalink Reply by Rose Keppler Moradian on July 23, 2009 at 10:17pm

Sacrifices are OK!

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Permalink Reply by Rose Keppler Moradian on July 23, 2009 at 10:17pm

Yes, remove them! Thin them out!
Yellow leaves are old leaves, thats all.
Michelle suggestions are excellent.

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Permalink Reply by Rose Keppler Moradian on July 23, 2009 at 10:19pm

Consider growing determinate types like Marmande next time. Not all tomatoes are monstrous.

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Permalink Reply by de Moffarts Eugène on July 24, 2009 at 1:24am

Not necessary to remove the yellow leaves , only if it is a pleasant job for you or for aesthetic reason

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Permalink Reply by Glenn Fletcher on July 24, 2009 at 1:43am

Gillian
I think it is a good idea to remove the yellow leaves, if you have the time.
Although in themselves i don,t think they are a problem, in a warm and humid climate like yours they may be the starting place for other problems like grey mould to begin. Also as you say it allows some light to get at the ripening fruit.

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Permalink Reply by de Moffarts Eugène on July 24, 2009 at 1:44am

I like to give a maximum of freedom to the vegetables and let them express all there potential. I give them much space and intervene so less as possible.It's a big live lesson and also a mirror how we act to other people...

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