What should I do? Treat with fungicide? Remove leaves? Pull plants? I have 7 other tomato plants, planted at least 3 feet apart. These are two of the biggest. Other veggies are nearby, including peppers, but they aren't susceptible, are they? And how would tomato plants get this? You'll find much more info about this over on the Tomato Forum here linked at the top of this forums front page so I hope you don't mind if I just hit the highlights. Early Blight or, in this case, Septoria Leaf Spot are the 2 most common tomato diseases and both are caused by fungus found in the soil and in the air. They are both so common that the real issue is how to be one of the lucky few who avoid getting them, not how you got them. :) The only way to avoid getting them is to use a regular program of fungicide spraying from the day you plant them outside. As to what to do now, first you immediately strip off any and all affected leaves and dispose of them outside the garden and you continue to do this as the affected leaves develop but no you don't need to pull the plants. They will still produce. Then you begin a regular weekly fungicide spraying program to slow it. Fungicides won't cure it but they can prevent new leaves from becoming infected. Follow the label instructions on which ever fungicide you choose for mixing and application rates. Dave

The first step is avoidance, protect your plants from the spores that cause Early Blight. Since those spores do come from the soil good mulches are necessary. Promoting rapid leaf drying and not getting the leaves of the plants wet can also help. To the best of my knowledge the only effective control for an organic gardener is copper fungicides, which if applied properly should not have that much adverse affect on the earthworm poopulation. I do not see that Serenade is listed as a control for Early Blight. Milk, a 50/50 mixture, is effective for controlling Powdery Mildew, Black Spot, and a few other fungal diseases as is baking soda. I find nothing about either as a control for Early Blight, however.

What's the soil situation like -- soil type, any amendments? Have you fed them at all? I'm thinking that's an odd pattern of yellowing you've got there... it almost never starts from the base of the leaf like that. Whitefly can cause some yellowing on older leaves and saps vigor, but you didn't mention how well the control is working. If you haven't fed them, the first thing I'd try is a balanced fertilizer. That uniform yellow color isn't early blight (EB has dark spots); Verticillium tends to make the entire plant sag during the day as if it had gone dry, and can affect some branches more than others. I wouldn't rule out V. wilt yet, but try the fertilizer first, and check the levels of whitefly on the plants. --Alison who has had some of the same problems in the past, with weak soil... until the mites would come in and demolish the stunted little plants. Too much nitrogen is bad, but it is possible to have too little as well.

I am FAR from an expert or horticulturalist, but whne the early blight decimated my tomatoes last year they did not look like that. Might just be from very wet feet. Best thing to do is try your local cooperative extension and they can pinpoint it for you.