Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk AL Garden and Farm Tomato question

This is the 3rd year using the 2 raised beds that I have. I used buckets prior to building these beds. The 1st year I had no problems at all, it actually was probably the best garden I ever had. Last year all my tomatoes started to wilt and die 1 at a time. They were loaded with tomatoes and no other plants in the bed had any issues or were affected. I assumed it was wilt due to planting them in the same bed 2 years in a row. This year I planted all my tomato plants in the other bed which has never had tomatoes planted in it. Now I'm having the same problem. 1 plant wilted so I pulled it up and disposed of it. Now I have 3 others doing the same thing. WTF gives?!

are you planting them in the same spot? you need to plant tomatoes and other crops too in different locations.

This is only my 2nd year with raised bed gardening, so I am no expert - but to date we haven’t had any issues and the tomato plants are growing like crazy (tons of blooms and small tomatoes). That’s not to say they won’t start dying tomorrow though.

One thing I did was - over the Winter I added a good bit of 10-10-10 w/sulfer and a good bit of compost that was over a year old that I knew didn’t have any chemicals (i.e. weed killer or other chemicals). I wish you the best of luck, but perhaps you are missing some micronutrients or there are some chemicals involved.

Also - although I have not followed the same rules, most everything I have read about raised bed gardening - Mr. Bobby’s (Geezer) advice iseems to be the recommended way of doing raised beds.

I’ve found with raised beds they dry out really fast . Tomatoes need lots of water .

This may be it . I plant stuff same place every year with no issues . Maters will die within 2 days if no water especially when small and growing in a raised bed . After I transplant into garden or bed from greenhouse takes couple weeks for plants to get acclamated to new soil and then your good . During that time need water if no rain .

I had one die wilt after I applied pesticide to them. What has changed between when you planted them and now?

Plant disease resistant strains? Also prune lower tomato limbs and keep plants dry, water over the base with a good mulch layer. Usually the plant doesn’t recover with wilt disease. May have to give the raise bed a break and just do some cover crop variety in it.