I'm gardening in Northern Illinois (zone 5b) with two raised beds: a 4x8 that's in its 4th year and a 2x10 in its 3rd year. I use a mix of bagged soils, and I've seen some mycelium in the past. I've got tomatoes, peppers, onions, and marigolds for pest control. However, my tomato plants are dying increasingly fast each summer, while the peppers seem to thrive. The cherry tomatoes are faring a bit better than the slicers. In a month after transplanting from indoors, the tomato plants stop growing, their leaves curl up, and I get almost no tomatoes. I'm considering replacing the soil, but I'm worried that any disease might have seeped into the wood of the raised beds too. What do you think I should do? Should I try planting disease-resistant veggies or completely swap out the soil?
3 Answers
I recently struggled with this kind of issue too, and I'm planning to get my soil tested before planting again. I added organic material like rotten wood and compost previously, and I suspect that might have contributed. I’d recommend doing the same to see if your soil's healthy. Also, experimenting with beans in your raised beds could give you insight into the soil situation!
Definitely test the soil with beans! If they struggle too, you might be onto something with the contamination theory.
It sounds like you might be dealing with herbicide or pesticide damage rather than just soil issues. It's intriguing that some of your plants are fine while others aren't. It might be worth doing a soil test first to figure out what’s going on. In the meantime, look into tomato varieties that are known to flourish in your area. That could help you tweak your approach!
I’m starting to think that might be the case too. I’m in the suburbs, so it’s odd—no farms nearby—but I guess chemicals could drift over. How long could that contamination last?
The effects of drift can vary, but it usually depends on what chemicals were used. Definitely check with local agronomy experts for specifics!
I've faced similar troubles with my tomatoes! Thought it was bacterial wilt, but it turned out to be an issue with my soil. Try incorporating more disease-resistant hybrid tomatoes—they’ve worked wonders for me. Crop rotation can make a big difference too, though it's tough with limited space.
Good idea about the hybrids! I think I might skip tomatoes altogether this year in that garden and just test it with a few.
Agreed on the hybrids; they tend to hold up a lot better against diseases!
That's really interesting! I did put some hay in my beds ages ago; maybe that has something to do with the problems too.