Tomato Problems In My Garden: Identifying Pests & Diseases 

I had to fix an issue with sound quality so if you saw this go up a few hours ago you aren't seeing things! I wanted to make sure you all got the best quality I could offer so I re-uploaded and here it is!

Just a note, folks, if you're cutting down diseased plants be sure to disinfect your tools before you use them on non-diseased plants.

Thank you for showing the camera all those various pests and diseases. Most of these were issues I've heard about, but now I actually know what to look for

Not that I rejoice in seeing any of your plants go south, but just the other day I was thinking of how I wished you or Kevin would post a video of dealing problems in your garden. We see so many videos of giant harvests and healthy veggies and fruits, it starts to get a little depressing for us simple gardeners out here on the struggle bus. Even knowing everything isn't perfect all the time, it can be hard to envision when you guys have such amazing gardens. So I appreciate this video as a reminder and also the information it has to offer. And you may hate the leaf-footed dudes, but I dunno - my hatred of squash vine borers might outdo you. 🤣

Sorry! Depressing but really helpful, Jacques. Thanks for your willingness to show us these various challenges up close. I feel better able to identify them and have a plan going forward should I encounter them. In fact, I know I have a couple of issues going on in the garden at this point and will now take a closer look at what those are. Thanks again and onward!

Will you consider growing some of your tomatoes (determinate) in containers while you rehabilitate the soil? I would love to see that and get some tips!

Man! I feel you! This is my first real year of trying to garden. I’ve had so many learning experiences and they are HEART breaking!😢 I had never seen aphids before and they took over ALL of my pak choy that I had let go to seed. They were all over the flower heads. Luckily I had your videos on how to get rid of them. But it was so gross 🤮 and I think there was something else attacking the leaves because they were suddenly full of holes and turned yellow. I’ve had problems with irrigation and planting too densely, which caused my beautiful zucchini plants to stop growing. They kept trying tho! I had a bunch of teeny tiny zucc’s from them. But they looked sad and diseased all summer. All in all, I learned a lot of what not to do’s for next year and the remaining fall season. Thank you for all your helpful videos and so sorry about your beautiful tomatoes 💜

Not fun finding pests and issues in the garden for sure but I think the weird growing season this year had a lot of us ignoring growing problems thinking plants were just behind. Up here in Toronto I don't have too many pests i've had to deal with yet but as you said, if you don't check for a while you're sure to find something coming after your plants!!

The timing of this video was impeccable! Was just realizing that I had a lot of fungal issues on a few of my tomatoes as well especially coming off of a storm and wondering what to do about it, thanks for making this video!

Thanks Jacques. I appreciate showing the frustrations that can happen to even seasoned gardeners. My tomato yields have been middling again and I'm sure soil issues are at play. I know I should attempt to figure it out, but there are so many potential factors that it's easier to just be lazy than try and get to the (here it comes) root of the problem. Gardening is supposed to be fun and rewarding but it can go very wrong in myriad ways (hey, just like life!)

Really a bummer to have to pull your plants, but it was so educational to see these issues up close to know what to watch out for and how to attempt remediation. Thank you so much, Jacques!

Welcome to my world in Zone 8b south Georgia. I pull my tomato plants by mid July because of the bug and disease pressure. Flat footed bugs are my #1 pest on tomatoes. I try to go out every morning with a cup of hot, soapy water and flick those beasties in to drown. I use an organic spray on the nymphs. I haven't had problems with nematodes but it can be a problem here in my area. I've heard that a cover crop of Kodiac Brown mustard helps with nematodes and we practice 3 year ( at least) crop rotation for all vegetable plantings.

Thank you so much for this video. I watched it a few weeks ago and had never heard of root knot nematodes. Then today, I was clearing a tomato bed and pulled up a tomatoe plant to look at the roots, and there was the bugger... nematode knots! I searched back to rewatch your video and will pick up some French marigold seeds tomorrow and also will plant kohlrabi in that raised bed.

I`m in Encinitas in a valley with sandy soil. The nematodes are really doing a number on my cantaloupe this year. My better boy tomato is producing well and I read that variety is resistant to nematodes. So far my sugar baby watermelons are producing well and are delicious. I dug out a cantaloupe today (July 19) and what a mess the roots were. They set fruit but they didn`t mature.

I have also been battling root knot nematodes. I applied beneficial nematodes last season and planted a few marigolds in that bed. Any beans and cucumbers I planted in those beds died, BUT the eggplants, peppers and luffa thrived (despite seeing huge root knots on the luffa after pulling). I am now applying crab meal (shrimp meal is also supposed to be effective due to the chitin these contain), neem meal (couldn't hurt) and planting things like garlic, onions and strawberries in those beds, because they are supposed to be resistant to RKN. I believe there are tomatoes that have been bred to be resistant to RKN as well... Best wishes on your battle!

Jacques, I had nematodes in my tomato bed one year, but I didn’t know that French marigolds took care of the problem. I solarized that garden bed for a year to rid myself of the problem. Sorry about your sungolds.

So sorry for your tomato loss and thank you for sharing your gardening woes with us. A nasty fungus took out a majority of my plants this year just as they were about to set fruit so definitely feel your loss!

Well that bites. Sorry your sorrow turned into an informative video. We've had a small amount of blossom end rot and not much else here in San Jose.

At the end of the season last year, I wrapped all my green tomatoes individually in packing paper (like blank newspaper type paper) and put them in one or two layers in a cardboard box, closed it up and left it in the corner of a room for a couple weeks. Periodically I checked in on them, and after a couple weeks or more, VOILA! They had all turned red!! Unwrapping each tomato was like opening a birthday present! I was able to increase my tomato sauce yield substantially by doing that, so it'll be something I will do again for sure at the end of this tomato season.

I saw some leaf footed nymphs but didn’t know what they were and didn’t want to kill something beneficial. By the time I realized what it was, I couldn’t find it 😫 I’ll just add it to the list of insects that will ravage the garden this year. It’s been rough.

My heart goes out to you! All of my cucurbits have suffered from multiple pests this year, and it's absolutely broken my heart (the striped cucumber beetles have been the absolute worst - I'm going to be trying beneficial nematodes in the next few days for them!). Next year I'm going to try all resistant varieties! I've also started using an OMRI approved spray for powdery mildew that works wonders - it kills everything in a few days, and my plants haven't been reinfected since the first application. That's been the easiest thing to deal with by far. Only one of my tomatoes has been sick at all, and thankfully it doesn't seem to be root knot nematodes, though I will check when it comes up. I grew all of my tomatoes in cloth pots this year because of fungal issues hitting the bed I had them in last year (so now that bed has a 5 year hiatus from tomatoes).

Have you ever used a small car vaccum to suck up the bugs? It works really well and you can give them as a snack to the chickens when you're done 😊 Also when you "fumigate" with the marigolds and brassicas you may want to check if it's worth to put a plastic of some sort over it to "seal in" the fumigation effect. It's something that has been tested in soy to control nematodes but with mustard or millet 😊

Loved the vid! Have you ever thought about a video on the science behind plants? How they grow, why & how they fruit, how roots function & a bunch of in depth science stuff? I think it'd be great to know more about how these living things function as once you get into gardening it becomes quite superficial where if you knew why a plant was doing X, maybe it becomes easier understanding the solution.

I really appreciate your videos. I had those same bugs in my garden and now I know what they did to it. Thank you for such an informative video.

I’m sorry about the critters. I found this video to be very informative. Thank you for teaching us!

You've helped me identify problems with my Roma Tomatoes. Thank you so much Jacques. We have a goldfish pond we put in years before we ever started gardening. Birds leave our tomatoes alone. Been getting those dark spots though. I thought the damage was caused by gnats. BTW. There are bubblers for small bird baths. Mosquitos don't lay their eggs in moving water I've read. Also a few drops of organic olive oil in standing water, like a bird bath, will trap mosquito eggs where they die.

I've treated root knots in my own garden. Wetting agents are good for a lot of reasons, one being even moisture but another is suffocating the eggs of RKN's. Quillaja saponaria powder is my go to, but thermex 70 is a cheaper alternative, 1 oz/ gal is the general Suffocate rate, works really well for soft body bugs. SF and SR nematodes applied every season seems to help as well. I still find some plants in some spots with a small portion of swollen roots, but not nearly as much.

For nematodes try watering with Marigold plant(we call it locally Kadifa/Kadifica), I saw you have them in your garden. 1kg of Marigold(flower, stem, leaves and roots- whole plant) cut it up in 1-2inch parts, put in 10l of water, cover the bucket for a week. When you want to use it, use 1l of it (fertilizer) diluted with 10l of water. I saved plants in garden with it, from nematodes. good luck :)

So sorry to see this, but thank you for sharing it with us, very helpful so we can know why our plants are not doing well. All the best going forward

I found out by personal experience this year that they can be killed by spraying with a soapy water spray.I am talking about the Leaf Footed Bugs.When you see one by spray it well with water.When wet they can’t fly away.Throughly spray it and watch it died quickly.Itnis so satisfying to watch.Last year they were all over my tomatoes and eggplants.

Have you tried using Beneficial Nematodes to control/eliminate the Root-Knot Nematodes? They do a great job of stopping them. Also, here in the northern climates we use Winter Rye (Cereal Rye) as a trap plant for the Root-Knot Nematodes, it traps and kills the nematode.

Tomatoe harvest recipes, YES please! Thanks for all the great info Jacques.

Beat of luck next season. Living and learning alongside you. Thanks for the great info.

Will you compost any of those plants and if so does it have to be hot composting to kill off the diseases to keep from reintroducing them next year when you apply the compost?

Usually my tomato problems go undiagnosed so I learned a lot. Thanks!!

Those leaf footed beetles always take over my garden, I stay with a little soap, I have to come out in the morning and evening and just keep staying....they took over my pomegranate tree but the soap for sure helped

Hey Jacque this year was my best year, my tomatoes are done for the season. My peppers are loaded & it was also my first time growing eggplant.

Greetings from the Netherlands... first real try of tomatoes this year .... (knocking on wood frantically!!!!!)... and i followed the instruction of pruning to the..... letter... leaf.... (still frantically knocking on wood) and i dont have any disease or pests in them (plants in pots/containers spread all over my garden).... but who knows that the future brings.

Fighting nematodes myself. I'm giving natural french marigolds another year but I can't keep losing the battle. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and go synthetic. I hope marigolds work. Good luck with yours.

Great episode, Jacques! I'd love to see how you plant out the marigolds and brasiccas in that bed. I'm in the same boat, but zone 5b, so I may need to wait until next year to begin the remedy.

Thanks for showing all this, and sorry for the huge bummer at the end. It is really helpful to see these pests and the signs in a real world example. I’ve had a lot of disease pressure on tomatoes this season as well, including a really intense powdery mildew wave which wiped out a whole tray of tomato starts for me.

Thank you for sharing the good, the bad & the ugly in the garden. I’ve dealt with my share of pests & disease in the garden but learn more every growing season. Looking forward to more recipes 🍅

I use a cordless vacuum with a little DE in the canister and suck up the leaf footed bugs. I leave the canister for a day before I dump it in the trash. They are all dead by then.

Hey Jacques….I can’t find anything here on YT addressing this and thought maybe you’d be able to help. I’ve mentioned before not necessarily hear that one of my raised beds is apparently somehow toxic, though that may not be the word that fits. Years ago when I first planted it, I have the same problem. I’ve had this past growing season and let me say, that this bed has not been used for 8 to 10 years, but still have the same problem. I did add bags of compost and manure and some fertilizer (For a fresh start), But I have the same problem, which is… the plants go in the ground fine, they stay green and healthy looking, but never grow much in size and NEVER produce anything. I am going to disassemble this bad and literally throw away. All the soil that’s in it. With nothing to lose for the plants already in that bed, I decided to dig them up and put them in grow bags and once it gets cold (if ever), here in Central Texas, I’ll put them in the greenhouse for overwintering. All that said, here’s my confusion… yesterday I got the grow bags ready and got the shovel expecting that may be the grow bags will not be big enough because of the root system, BUT, as it turns out, that wasn’t an issue because even though the roots don’t look unhealthy, there are hardly any roots at all…not much more than when they were planted last spring. They’ve been fertilized periodically through the growing season and grown (or NOT grown) under shade cloth. I went ahead and put them in the grow bags with new soil and worm castings, etc. Is there a way at this juncture to change their course by a more nitrogen rich fertilizer or anything? I did shake most of the cursed soil off of them before putting them in the grow bags. NOW, I understand why they never grew and produced, but I still don’t “get” what is wrong with that particular raised bed, but it’s going to the landfill! Thanks for any input!😊

I dealt with root knot nematodes in my last garden. Reaped havoc on my peppers and even started on my asparagus even though asparagus is supposed to be resistant

As a newer gardener this is SO HELPFUL thank you so much!

I use neem cake fertilizer at time of transplanting tomatoes. The neem cake is very effective against root nematodes

Very cool showing the pests and damage, thank you!

Thank you so much for sharing even the failures. I learned so much and will be better prepared to deal with my own.

Jacques, most likely most of these issues were brought in. You put down good nematodes to fight off the bad. You inspired me to do this also and my neighbor did it with me. I did not see 1 Colorado Potato Beetle this summer. I am gonna do Marigolds in the yard too then cut them up and leave them as a cover mulch. Wishing you the best!

Sorry Jacques. I wouldn't wish RKN on my worst enemy. I've found them in my garden this year and they've really done a number on my carrots, beets and cucumbers. RKN is not indigenous in my area, I can only assume that the garden soil that I purchased in bulk from the local nursery to fill my garden beds was infected. I'm treating with marigolds, caliente 199 mustard and a product that uses thyme essential oils. I hope this helps eliminate them. RKN is the worst! Good luck in your garden.

Hello Jacque! I'm based in the UK and it was my first 'proper' growing season after experimenting last year and doing a lot of groundwork at the beginning of the year. Sadly due to the very very wet weather we have had a massive outbreak of blight on our tomato plants. Think we have lost 90% of our tomato plants this year. Those that survived have been in hanging baskets and are darker skinned varieties that seem to have done better. No Roma's survived and therefore no sauce making this year 😢

Thanks for the audio fix and re-upload. So much valuable info in this video. I have a tomato bed that isn’t performing like they did in years past and I’ll be pulling them soon to check for these signs. I have a feeling it’s time for a reset. Although it could also just be the neighbors trees now blocking my morning sunshine. 🤬 Really curious what you end up doing with that zucchinizilla. Again my vote is on zucchini bread.

What a truly fantastic super informative video. It sucks that this is all in your garden but truth be told, none of us, from the novices to the most experienced have perfect gardens. There is no such thing. Research, learn, do your best and learn the phrase, there is always next year ❣️

When you are forced to pull your tomatoes, harvest all you can, including the green tomatoes. You can make pickled green tomatoes, which are delicious.

Every time I've heard leaf footed im like yeh im good, then you said aka stink bug and was like oh wow we get them around here haha. Thanks for a very useful video, spring is around the corner for me

That black lesion looks like blossom end rot that usually occurs because of calcium deficiency. Plants need calcium for their structure just like we need it for our spine and other bones. The deficiency causes weak trunks and branches and stalks and stems in smaller plants. Sooty mildew(not detrimental) collects in the lesions of blossom end rot.

If what you are growing are heirlooms, should you not save seeds from diseased plants? Are they affected? Also, are the tomato's safe to eat? TYFS Jacques The tutorial on at least 2 major diseases was well explained.

Wow! Excellent information jacques! i love how you're showing us all these fungal diseases up close, that way we can recognize them and learn from it.

Wow !, sorry about the tomato problem, thanks for teaching us. The diseased plant must have come from the store and spread it.

Thank you for the advice as always! The only pests I had this year were hornworm. Unfortunately all my Roma tomatoes consistently show blossom end rot and it’s frustrating beyond belief. I harvested three decent Roma so far and have removed at least 100 damaged ones. I just don’t understand 😢 Did everything I usually do but still failed. My other tomato plants are just fine, though they won’t be the best for canning sauce. It’s one thing I look forward to each fall, last year I had nearly 4 gallons of sauce!

Nice tomato harvest, despite those pests! Those pesky leaf-footed bugs love my pomegranites too! by harvest time, they've popped open soooo many of my poms! soooo annoying!

Thanks for a great, honest video. We haven't dealt with nematodes in Ohio Zone 6a, from what I've read it is questionable if they can survive here. Straw bales might be a good option to grow in while you rehab your soil, although not sure if you have any wheat farmers near you? We only buy from people we know because of the possibility of broad leaf herbicides in the straw.

You could try a hydrogen peroxide drench for the root knot nematode, that will ensure next years crop is healthy. 👍

This was a very helpful video, although I felt your pain regarding the nematode damage. Thanks for the heads up, and for sharing the not so fun parts to gardening.

Thanks for the pest and disease ID lessons. Time to check my tomatoes.

I got root knot nematodes from a large tomato plant I got at Costco once. Confined to a large 60 gallon grow bag. I just grow anything but tomato in that bag now. Definitely a bummer.

So disappointing for you! Thank you for sharing the reality of what gardening is really like. I appreciate being able to learn about these issues and follow to see how you deal with it and learn what worked for you. Those leaf footed bugs were in our area (Texas) in July. So gross!

Thank you for awesome information, I had a few tomatoes with the same issue . So now I know . Fortunately I did plant lots of Kale in that same bed , I guess I just need marigolds.

A tomato receipe I highly reccomend is from the YT channel Food Wishes. It's a red pesto and super simple. I made it with my last summer tomatoes, simply delicious ❤

Really informative. Interesting to have fusarium explained and also to see the root nematode damage. Sorry your plants were affected but, I guess, we all have problems as gardeners.

My beefsteaks were amazing too! But had abundant blight and decided to pull all tomato plants except the sun gold cherry tomatoes. Ripped out all squash except for one that’s growing patty pans. Can you post a chutney recipe please?

Leaf footed bugs are the bane of my garden. Every summer. They also kill my cucumbers every year.

Great content! Very helpful as I try to bring back my tomatoes after the storm.

I'm sorry about your tomatoes, Jacques. Hopefully your marigolds are beautiful and help the nematode problem.

Ugh I have never seen those leaf footed bugs before a couple days ago! I thought they were super huge red ants, although the less ignorant me already knew that plant was infected with something. Time to pull it out 😢

Good potash levels help to resist disease. Sulfur will lower pH which makes K more available.

So sad for your nematode issues. So what would you do with the plant, trash and not put in the compost bin? Also, do you ever cut the suckers to start new plants instead of from seed? I go from season to season doing this and it saves some time from babysitting seedlings. Keep your head up!!! Your garden looks great!!!

In your warm climate could you have cut branch off the Sungold, rooted it and replanted elsewhere?

Yes, the bug at 9 minutes is a baby stinkbug. It's the most usual kind where I live in SE Europe. They're cute, but they must be killed immediately because they really spread when they develop wings.

Jacques. What do you think of the theory that more insects are flooding our organic gardens because there is so much spraying along highways. I don't see bugs hitting my windshield anymore like before in the good ole days.

Very informative Jacques! How have you faired with Storm Hilary and the earthquake? (or are you too far south to feel the earthquake?) Yes, see this is the problem we have in London, UK. It isn't the lack of warmth but the wet warm humid weather that we struggle with. It has been such a wet year, this year, so i topped some of my favourite tomatoes early, about the 7th August and re rooted them in pots. This has told my plants to send the energy solely into ripening the tomatoes currently on the existing vine. I would really try to save your Sun Gold Jacques, by topping and re rooting it in a pot. Depending on the weather, you may be able to plant it back out again once the "wet season" has finished? I am going to up pot the rooted tops and then eventually bring it inside and treat it like basil and take try to take the suckers or top again to propagate, for when the mother plant becomes too big/tall for the indoor space we have for them. I did want to try testing this out for our space last year but when we returned from our holiday, blight had already got to them. I did over winter a volunteer tomato plant last year in a 30 cm/1ft wide pot. This year i want to just try rerooting and over wintering tops as i have seen this can be done. What advice would you give someone if they found root rot nematode damage but couldn't relocate them next year, like for rust also? Is it just a case of a bad yield next year or can something be done to help? I usually do no dig/lasagna style after removing the old plants. With the tomato rows i replenish and leave until i have removed the root crops (beets, radishes and turnips that were in the inter planted garlic spaces) and re do when i plant the garlic in Dec. That round black bug with white spots that looks like a emo ladybird is a shield/squash/ stink beetle larvae. The thin black type bug with red dots (not in this video) is a ladybird / bug larvae and shouldn't be harmed as they will eat the aphids next year. Unless we have a mass influx of slugs and snails, i usually put them in our composter. If we have lots of them, i use rhubarb leaves as traps and put them in a tub with a small amount of water and salt. We had a lot of leaf miner damage this year but that is my bad for planting to close and not harvesting enough. Spinach and pak choi quickly bolted but luckily we had the dwarf green curled kale (new for us this year) and some Brussels sprouts leaves (before the pigeons came in), to save the day. The new stuff we have just planted out has (touch wood), so far been fairing much better from pests as it is later in the year. One last tip i would like to add to the conversation, is i also planted some tomatoes in pots/containers as i find it hedges our bets more, in terms of the climate for that year. 2021 was a great example of that, when the pots faired much better as the weather was a lot worse in terms of rain and what not compared to this year. Our courgettes in large pots also did fantastic that year too. Anyway, not sure when this was recorded but i hope you all are good and safe. Your garden's soils look well worked through enough to handle some of the rain but doesn't account for the total local area. IMHO, even if people grow a cover crop of weeds and chop and drop it often enough, it should condition the soil enough to absorb the water and keep it in. All of the dusty soil i have seen on the news reports, is why there are mudslides etc. It is like making a chocolate drink with powder. If you just throw the milk in, it just floats in clumps but if you add a little milk in to make a paste it mixes better. Stay safe guys and best wishes from London!

Sorry about your nematode pressure, I have had the same problem in my garden here in Florida and was not sure what it was until you mentioned it and now I know what to do, thank goodness I save a ton of marigolds seeds from last year, can you plant any barassica plants or do you prefer certain ones to help with the nematodes??

Rotate to mustard crops for a year. Dig it in

Well shucks. On the bright side, I’m excited to see how you re-map your toms and find genius ways (as always) to move past these turkeys. I love your vids. :)

I've had pretty good luck keeping RKN suppressed with neem seed meal. (knocks wood)

Arrgh!!! I lost many of my tomatoes, cleaned them out BUT didn’t check the roots. 😭😭😭

Thank you for sharing all this info - so incredibly helpful!!

My biggest issue this year has made me change varieties next year. No matter what I have tried for the last few years, my San Marzano get blossom end rot like crazy. Must be a genetic thing

thanks for learning that lesson for us!

I had early blight for the first time ever this year. Heartbreaking.

Also this must be the year of the tomato horn worm. I have found 7 so far. There was one on my pepper plant.😮

Oh, oh! Could you pretty, pretty, pretty please make a video about how to use chutney? I made like 30 jars a couple years back and I have no idea how to use it. :/

Thank you so much for this video . I lost a lot of tomato plants due to this nematode problem. Can I plant morning glory in that plot instead of marigold?

Zucchini that "get big" is a "marrow", great for stuffing

What do you do with the roots that are affected? Garbage or compost?

I use the large zucchini to make a zucchini bread, so delicious.

As always, excellent video. Thanks for sharing.

Are we really not going to talk about how our favorite garden hermit is dressed like Shaggy?

Where can I find the round tomato cage that you had in your video? I have been looking for something like that as it is much sturdier than the 3 legged tomato cages.