Help!

Hi! I am new to gardening and SFG, and I planted a lot haha. I have two abraham lincoln tomato plants, two red pisa date tomato plants with suspect leaves. With the lincoln tomatoes, each set of two leaves closest to the MM are discolored; they look like they have yellowish/discolored patches. The rest of the leaves are fine. Something similar on my date tomatoes. I also have one squash plant that is green but stopped growing 2 weeks ago, and one squash plant that got one blossom, but then it seems to have stopped growing - that plant also has one leaf that has turned brown around the edges.

With regard to the tomato plants (they are very short - i started with seeds; the lincoln tomato plants are about 6-8 inches tall - the date tomato plants are 4 inches tall - what should I do what could be causing this?

With regard to the squash plants - I have no idea if this is normal, etc. I was going to dig up the one that hasn't grown and plant something else but since it is still green i wasn't sure? Someone told me tap water's chlorine content could cause the brown edges but it seems un economical to water them with distilled water...

Thanks! I live in Chesapeake VA if that helps!

Hi ahbishop and to the forum and SFG!!!

There are several factors that could be leading to the issues you are seeing and the best way to get more accurate answers is to post pics of your plants and tell us a bit more about your garden...like how you put together your soil and weather conditions. Are the yellowing leaves the seedling leaves or true leaves? Tomatoes are not my expertise, but there are many here who are VERY knowledgeable in this area.

As for your squash, what type of squash, was is transplanted or direct sown and when was it planted?

Again, posting pics is your best bet! (Plus, we LOVE seeing everyone's gardens. )

I will take some pics and post when i get home!

As for my soil, it is MM - 3 dif kinds of compost in there. I haven't fertilized or added anything since assembling and planting. Two of the tomato plants are transplants (the two with the issue). All of the squash I had to replant because the transplants died. We had a rainy spell (long down pours) about a week ago, but since then I have been watering every evening, about a cup per plant - less with newly sprouted seedlings.

Your MM could be the issue as the recipe calls for 5 different types and the 3 are likely not sufficient nutrients. I did this my 1st season to save $ and because it was difficult tracking down the 5 types. It has taken me 2 more years to keep amending those boxes to be sufficient for growing. What types of compost did you use? I ended up having too much manure and not enough variety of other types. I had also made the mistake of not reading the labels well enough and had too much peat moss because some of my bags were a compost/peat mix. This year, I added some store bought compost to a bed (because my homemade wasn't ready) and discovered it: 1) wasn't finished compost and 2) had a lot of sand in it....this has compacted my soil, robbed my plants of nitrogen and stunted the growth in all of them. So glad I only used it in one small bed and not all of them.

It may be beneficial to do a soil test, but others should chime in on their thoughts after seeing pics.

I'm just 50 miles south of you and I know we have had some strange weather during May - really hot then almost freezing a couple of nights. And the heavy rains in Hampton Rhodes. Some of my tomatos are still small. So are my peppers. Squash doesn't like cold. The weather is finally deciding to even out as HOT and my plants have just starting bursting out.

But I also agree that you may nutrient problems as the underlying problem. You can try compost tea or a top dressing of some good compost blend. What composts did you use. Maybe we can figger out a better blend for you.

Kay

It could be your mix but also could be weather related. I know that my tomatoes, pumpkins, and pepper look terrible. I believe it is because we have had almost two weeks worth of rain and barely any Sun. Today the Sun finally came out and it felt warmer out. When I checked my plants they looked better not by much as my husband told me they look terrible. I know that these crops love Sun and warmth so maybe just trim the worst looking leaves and wait for some nice warm days to see if they perk up. Also adding more compost to the top of you mix and watering it in wouldn't hurt either.

I am not really sure of how to upload my pics...

And thanks to everyone for the great info! As soon as I can figure out this impage thing, I will upload them!

It could be your mix, but I doubt it... Seems like it is more of a weather problem to me... I only have 2 types of compost and my plants are going crazy! I would say snip the browning leaves off and continue...

My suspicion is a nitrogen deficiency. Seems to be a common problem - at least it happened to me anyway! According to this article nitrogen is an elusive element. *lol* If you read it, tomatoes and squash are among the list of heavy nitrogen feeders. Also it describes yellowing of the oldest leaves (that would be the ones you mentioned closest to the Mel's Mix) and in their words, indolent growth, as symptoms - both of which you're describing. Indolent means slow or lazy, but in my case, I had perfectly healthy looking plants that just sat there week after week and didn't grow one bit.

Nitrogen is what plants need to literally build themselves. The growth of a new seedling can be deceiving because the seed itself contains all the nutrients it needs to sprout and grow for the first while. That's why seeds can sprout and grow in a sterile mix (or on a moist paper towel, for instance).

Thanks gwennifer!

I decided to start small - I got some organic nitrogen only additive and treated my garden tonight. cross your fingers! As far as everyone else's suggestions, I have them on a list and if one thing doesn't work I am going to move on to the next! I am excited and hoping all of this works!

First ahbishop to the forum.
On the first page of this forum there is a topic that is named "HOW TO". The last topic in this thread is the one you need to use. Here is a direct link to that thread topic.
https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t129-how-to-post-a-picture-located-on-your-computer
I have to add a few steps due to my OS and security settings: I have to click "allow access" after clicking copy and before I click the "upload" link.