Tomatoe problem. Year 2.

[Vonclemen]

Hello. New guy here. Well I farm cotton, corn, soybeans, wheat, sorghum. I've always had a big garden. Tomatoes being my main specialty. Well I moved to my new place here bout two years ago now, and last year was first year for our new garden. Well I had 13 better boys which I always have used. They all got about waist High then died. I figured maybe some kind of disease carrying insects did it. Anyway, now this year they're about wais the high and starting again. It's crazy. Ive never had this issue, and I've been growing matters for 16 years. I took some pics. It looks like tomatoe worm damage, but the leaves are tiny an knob by. Does anyone know what is going on? Might have to soil sample. This was one of our fields for 60years, and one of the best. Thanks.

 

[Vonclemen]

They all start putting on looking good. Then slowly decline. Even the tomatoes are good.

 

[Beth_B]

Hi, and wow, I have no idea. Where do you live and what is your growing zone? That soil looks very dense; getting your soil checked is probably a good idea. I'm a huge believer in using organic mulch in my home garden, every year the soil gets better.

I would think if it were pests or insects, with your experience you would have identified them by now. So I'm going with it's to do with poor soil.

 

[Vonclemen]

Central mississippi. I moved literally 500 yards from old home. Built new in one of our cotton fields. Zone8 just got rain about 3 hours ago.

 

[tbendl]

Welcome Fellow Mississippian, (wow that's a finger-ful to type...)

 

[Beth_B]

Could the soil just be depleted, or lacking organic (I don't mean in a prissy Whole Foods way, but the dictionary definition of organic) elements? I don't know anything about larger scale farming but I've had successful backyard veggie gardens since the 1980s. And that soil looks, frankly, horrible. It's barren and looks sterile, not capable of supporting weeds or grass, unless you eliminated them all right before you took that photo. If it cannot support native weeds and grass in your normal environment, I'm thinking non-native vegetables don't stand a chance. Does cotton deplete soil and don't crops need to be rotated? Cotton is not native to the northern US, so I imagine it takes its toll here and your soil needs amending, especially after 60 years.

And not an inch of mulch in sight. I really never had a successful garden until I realised the value of mulch. I think your soil is plumb wore out at this point.

 

[Vonclemen]

Yes you could be right. We do disk under stalks, and we rotate every year, but we did keep the fields nice an clean. I did weed the garden day before yesterday. I keep it as clean as possible till round august or so. Cause it just gets so hot to handle it all. I bet you are correct in assuming depleted soil. We do spread fertilizer every other year, so I'll just have to rake my grandma's yard this winter to put a couple trailer loads of leaves in. Being the second year in could see that being an issue. My squash, okra, purple hull peas ,and peppers are doing quite well. Thanks for the input. I'll start putting in mulch asap. Probably do some straw in the middles. Should help.

 

[Beth_B]

I think all that will help greatly!
Please post updates. It sounds like you have lots of history with your land and that is rare, nowadays.

 

[Vonclemen]

I think all that will help greatly!
Please post updates. It sounds like you have lots of history with your land and that is rare, nowadays.

Yes. I'm fourth generation farmer. I will. Thanks.

 

[Chuck]

You said that the new place was used as a cotton farm? I would suggest that the minerals and organic matter in the soil have been depleted. What was the cotton fertilized with? Chemicals??? For a long time? I would incorporate copious amounts of organic materials into the soil along with a material such as GreenSand to replace the used up nutrients.

 

[Tech]

Looks like veriety and water issue. Spaces too far apart for the strain in that soil

 

[headfullofbees]

The reason that marijuana got such a bad name, was that cotton growers wanted us to use that for cloth, and not hemp, and so did everything they could to demonise it.
This is because hemp is much cheaper to grow, because it doesn't have as many natural pests, and its fertiliser requirements aren't nearly as high.
As such, it looks likely that your soil micro-culture has been killed, and minerals depleted, by cotton farming.
Brew and add actively aerated compost tea, with additional applications of molasses (2oz/gal) to feed the microbes) and add natural fertilisers like pelleted chicken manure in the short term (immediately!)
Longer term, rebuild the soil with woodchips, dead leaves, livestock manure, lawn clippings etc.

 

[Beth_B]

The consensus is clear: Start amending that worn out soil yesterday with organic stuff. Compost, kitchen leavings, dead leaves, whatever.

Your soil is plumb wore out after decades of commercial cotton farming. Might as well grow stuff in styrofoam, really.

 

[Vonclemen]

Thanks. After I posted it did go get a huge trailor full of leaves, and straw. I also have 25 chickens so that's getting added this winter. My squash, pink eyed purple hull peas, and peppers are all flourishing. 3, 5 gallon buckets of straight, and crook neck in one week. Just weird it's only the tomatoes. Thanks though. I believe in composting, and I'll be piling it in this fall, and winter. Egg shells, coffee, ect. I've always done that, but being new garden I was curious. Thanks again.