Tomato Plant leaves turning yellow

Ann Yaconis
by Ann Yaconis
I have a herb container which has a tomato plant in the middle and the leaves are looking a little sick . They are turning yellow , There is fruit on it but its just looks bad. Any suggestions why?
tomato plant in herb container
  21 answers
  • Nancy Hand Nancy Hand on Jul 02, 2013
    Have you given it any fertilizer?
  • Ann Yaconis Ann Yaconis on Jul 02, 2013
    Yes I have Miracle Grow once a week . We have had so much rain up here I thought perhaps its from over watering
  • Debby Boyle Debby Boyle on Jul 02, 2013
    It looks like they are to wet. Tomato's need to be on their own. I would repot it by it's self in another pot.
  • Ann Yaconis Ann Yaconis on Jul 02, 2013
    Thanks Debbie I will repot it today . Funny it came in the container together from the nursery.
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Jul 02, 2013
    It will probably be easier to extract the herbs from the pot than the tomato. I agree that it looks like a water issue.
  • Ann Yaconis Ann Yaconis on Jul 02, 2013
    yes Doug the poor tomato is in the middle of the whole thing ! thank you for your help !
  • Shary Shary on Jul 02, 2013
    I do companion planting. Tomatoes do not need to be alone.. It came with plants that will help the tomato. Try giving it Epsom Salts, not really a salt as we think of salt damage. Use 2 table spoons to a gallon of water. I saw my yellow leaves replaced by nice green ones in a few days.
  • David Moffitt David Moffitt on Jul 02, 2013
    I agree with Shary, adding Epsom Salt gives the plant the needed nutrient of magnesium, which is not normally found in many fertilizers. It could also be from sun shock. Many nurseries keep their plants under a shade clothe.
  • Judy Coleman Judy Coleman on Jul 02, 2013
    I can't tell from the picture how large the pot is but tomatoes need room. Is it a cherry tomato plant or a slicing tomato plant? The basil is a great companion plant for the tomato as are several other herbs. I am not sure what the other herbs are but you may not need all of them in the one pot. The Epsom salt is a nice nutrient to add as others have stated. If the soil is too wet the leaves will yellow - make sure you have enough drainage and place it where it gets lots of sun. Good luck!
  • Debbie Sigle Debbie Sigle on Jul 02, 2013
    it looks to me like it could also be burned from watering during the hot hours of the day..u should only water in morning or early evening when the sun is not so hot..I found that this has helped mine. happy gardening :)
  • Sue Geney Bynum Sue Geney Bynum on Jul 02, 2013
    Looks like the pot has basil, rosemary, sage and thyme in it along with the tomato. I agree that moving the herbs will give all of the plants more room. Check what kind of drainage you have on the pot it is in. Yellow leaves are usually a result of too much water as stated before. Easy on the fertilizer too. Miracle Grow is not always the right balance for tomatoes. You want fruit not just leaves. Herbs and vegetables need a different balance of fertilzer than house plants and flowers do.
  • Rosemary N Rosemary N on Jul 03, 2013
    Try some Epsom Salt -- a little bit of it (like a tsp) dissolved in a gallon of H20. Pour over the plant. sometimes tomatoes need a little magnesium, and Epsom Salt provides that. Repeat once a month.
  • Chris Chris on Jul 03, 2013
    I use Epsom salts as well, advice of my agricultural research buddies, but I use a tablespoon per gallon. I repeat weekly especially if it's rainy--works well for geraniums too!
  • Cynthia Cynthia on Jul 04, 2013
    Watering can cause yellow leaves. With all the rain we had here in the south, mine are stunted, green and already sprouting out fruit. Check soil ph.
  • Maria Maria on Jul 04, 2013
    you might need to add a little nitrogen,
  • Lydia Whitehead Torres Lydia Whitehead Torres on Jul 04, 2013
    Does your container have drain holes? It looks over watered.
  • Athena Spanios-Tickner Athena Spanios-Tickner on Jul 04, 2013
    From my personal experience, tomatoes need LOTS of room. I can't see the depth of the pot, but recently I replanted a tomato into an industrial sized icing container from the local grocery store, because it was not doing so good in my pretty large clay pot... Wouldn't you know, it was pot bound... Its happy now.... Epsom salt is good as are coffee grounds and egg shells... i break up the shells and leave them on top at the base or stem. Slugs hate going over them to get to the plant. Great advise... Good Luck Ann...
  • Caley's Culinaries Caley's Culinaries on Jul 04, 2013
    You have done pretty well, or all this stuff wouldn't still be alive! If it was too much water, the sage and rosemary would be dead. It needs nitrogen. Easy fix since you are not organic! Put in some Ironite and osmocote 14-14-14. You won't need anything else for the rest of the year. They are pelleted. The rain may have washed your miracle grow out since it is liquid. That looks like a pear-shaped tom, it will not be a full-sized plant. You can always expect to re-pot group plantings when they have outgrown their pot. These have because you rock!
  • Carmella A Carmella A on Jul 05, 2013
    All of the above comments are good and I will add one more. If you cut off the yellowing leaves then the nutrients will transfer their energy to the green leaves instead of the almost dead yellow leaves and will produce bigger and better tomatoes.
  • Kim Taylor Kim Taylor on Jul 05, 2013
    Water the soil, not the leaves. It causes a fungus on the leaves and the plant will eventually die.
  • Ann Yaconis Ann Yaconis on Jul 06, 2013
    Thank you all for you help. In jersey we have had so much rain I think they were way over watered . They are now ion a sunny place with less chance of getting over watered. Yes the pot has drainage holes, i believe that all the nutrients are gone. I will try adding what you all suggested and repot the tomato pant.They are plum tomatos. The fruit looks great just the leaves. I have a beautiful flower garden so I usually know how to take care of plants this one is just a little off for me . I have never purchased a herb garden like this one . Thank you all for your help and suggestions I greatly appreciated it!