Tomatoes can get a large group of diseases.  In my area of Texas, tomato plants that are sold as transplants have the letters VFN on their tags.  That stands for fusarium wilt, verticillium wilt, and nematodes.  Plants that have VFN on their tags are resistant to those problems.  But what exactly are those things?

Fusarium wilt

Fusarium wilt is found virtually everywhere in the world.  It is a fungus that infects the vascular system of the stem.  As it clogs things up, the leave and stems turn yellow, then brown. The infection enters through the roots and spreads rapidly.  There is no treatment, so it is important to plant tomatoes that are resistant to this disease.

Verticillium wilt

Verticillium wilt is also a problem in tomatoes.  Leaves begin wilting at the leaf margins, then turn yellow, then brown.  The plants are stunted and sad-looking.  Watering does not help the wilting.  Again, there is nothing you can do but plant disease-resistant tomatoes.

Nematodes

Nematodes are little worms that infest different parts of plants.  Most are tiny and hard to see.  The most common in this area is root-knot nematodes.  These creatures infest the root, causing galls and scaring that prevent the root from doing its’ job and absorbing water and nutrients to fuel the plant. 

Prevent Problems

Crop rotation is important here because planting susceptible crops year after year increases the likelihood of trouble.  You have to rotate all the vegetables in the deadly nightshade family, including potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplants. It is best to wait a year after growing one of these vegetables before putting it or another in the same place. If you have a small plot, this can be hard, though.

Buying resistant cultivars of tomatoes helps, too. Be sure to get transplants with the resistance to problems in your area.

Want to learn to garden? My first attempt at gardening ended up in failure. The weeds took over and squeezed the vegetables out. I was very frustrated by this waste of good seed, time, and money. So I became a master gardener and spent a lot of time helping other people avoid or overcome problems in their garden. 

In order to help others garden successfully, I have written a book, Vegetable Gardening from the Ground Up, available in an ebook or a paperback from Amazon. It is also in Kindle Unlimited.