Early blight is a foliar problem not a stem problem Had a lot of rain? Might be crown rot ? Might be phytophthora ( only your county agent can tell you)

Thanks Ellen. :) That describes the location perfectly. The area has been protected by what appear to be a combination of dense poison ivy, mud, and neglect. Now itÂs like IÂve got a secret garden of alien life-forms all to myself! For lack of actual gardening to do, IÂve been doing research on the plants in my yard that I identify. It looks like the most recent information (gathered from my rather scatterbrained searches) on Indian pipe is that they get their nutrients from a particular fungus, which in tern lives in symbiosis with a few types of tree. There are fancy names for these relationships that I canÂt keep straight, but the relationship is described in some writings as symbiotic and in others as parasitic. The notion that these plants live off of decomposing leaf litter seems to be an old one. http://www.mykoweb.com/articles/Mycorrhizas_5.html "It has long been recognized that these plants must obtain their food from a source other than photosynthesis. In the early-1800s, microscopic examination of monotrope roots indicated that they were not connected to tree roots, but were closely associated with abundant fine threadlike structures. However, the nature of this mycorrhizal association and even the fact that the threads were fungus hyphae was initially not appreciated. "Eventually the fact that fungi were always closely associated with these roots became well established, although widely ignored. Botanists assumed that these plants obtained their food by decomposing leaf litter, and references to these "saprophytic" plants continue to appear in many college biology and botany textbooks. However, there is no evidence that these plants have any decomposer ability and it takes only one look at their short stubby roots to see that they are not designed for efficient decomposition and nutrient capture (Figure 4)." This article goes on to talk about experiments with a relative of the Indian pipe, called pinesap, that investigate whether the plants in this family are parasites or symbiants: ". . . . Later studies repeatedly have confirmed Björkman's finding that achlorophyllous plants receive their food from the ectomycorrhizal fungi with which they form mycorrhizas. With respect to the carbon-rich photosynthates, the ultimate source is the trees." It looks like these types of plants may also be giving something back to the fungus, but this has yet to be confirmed; and the relationship may change during parts of the plantÂs life-cycle. ItÂs fascinating stuff! Here is a link that might be useful: MykoWeb article

Hi, Are you sure it's late blight? If you can post some pics that would be more helpful. It sounds like it could be late blight but, after 2 weeks, you should be seeing lots of plant death. Also, when I had LB last year, I recall a fetid, rotting flesh type of smell coming from the plants and fruits. Your mileage may vary on that. :-) Anyhow, if it is late blight, the plants and any fruits are pretty much doomed. Oh, you can probably cut off any spots on the fruit and eat them (LB is not harmful to people), but I can't imagine anything more unappetizing. Otoh, I know how badly folks want those tomatoes, especially after all the time and effort you put into them. If you had planned to can the fruit or make sauce, forget about it. Late blight alters the pH of the fruit and, if processed and stored, can lead to spoilage of the product, perhaps encouraging the growth of other organisms that can make you sick. Late blight spores that produce asexually cannot overwinter in places that have freezes, UNLESS you have potato tubers in the ground. Asexually-produced LB spores can only survive in living tissue. If underground potato tubers are not removed, the spores may overwinter in the potatoes. Since most parts of the country have freezes, it kills tomato plants (above ground plants), thus killing the plant tissue and the spores cannot survive. Potatoes, on the other hand, being underground and not killed by freezes, can host the LB spores. This is why it's important to dig up and destroy infected potatoes. This type of LB (the asexual reproduction type) cannot be transmitted via seed. This is the most common type of LB found. To further complicate things, there is a so-far very small number of LB spores that reproduce sexually, and they can survive without living plant tissue. These are very rare and uncommon enough that there is no reason to suspect that currently. If you get a confirmation on the LB, the plants and fruits should be bagged in plastic and sealed. You can put the sealed garbage bags in the sunlight for a few days to heat them up, which might help destroy the spores, then put them in the garbage. As you probably know, do not compost any part of the plant. This is especially important in your part of the world, where it's warmer. If it is LB, you have my sympathies. I and many others lost every single tomato plant to LB last year, usually before we got any tomatoes at all. [It didn't infect the peppers, however.] We know how sad it is.

hard to say, I dont see any tell tell black lesions on the stems. I think it just may be some late season decline. Leave em and see if you cant get a few more nice maters before frost.