tomato leaves shriveling?
Answers:
Is it all over the plant, or just at the bottom? If the whole plant looks wilted, it is probably a lack of water. Tomato plants are really sensitive to the heat, though, and sometimes a plant which is actually well-watered will look pretty sad in the heat of the day. If you have watered the plant in the last day or so, just wait until the sun goes down and check to see if it's perked up. If so, the wilting was nothing to worry about. Otherwise, give the plant a deep watering. Deep infrequent watering is better than frequent shallow watering, because the roots will seek out the moisture in the soil. Deeply rooted plants will stand up to dry conditions much better. After you have watered, you can put a mulch (an inch or 2 of compost is a great choice) around the plants to keep the roots cooler and to conserve the moisture in the soil.
If the leaves are turning brown just at the bottom of the plant, that's natural. Just pick them off and discard them.
If leaves are getting spots on them and then drying up and turning brown, that could be one of a number of diseases that tomatoes are subject to. In this case, pick off the discolored leaves and throw them in the garbage because the disease spores can be spread from the discarded leaves. You can use a sulfur spray to kill leaf spot on tomatoes. Ask at your local plant nursery for a fungicide or a fungicidal soap spray. Try to stay away from the toxic stuff; there are natural products available commercially that don't pollute the environment or endanger you, your pets, the birds, and the beneficial insects in the garden like ladybugs and bees.
Another possibility is that gophers or moles have damaged the root system of your plant. If that's the case, there will be air pockets around the plants. Try a heavy watering and see if the soil settles.
Good luck.
Other answers:
water more........be sure they are getting full sun too.....my husband made the mistake of putting them in partial shade the first year because it was unusually hot....but they wilted and died :(
water more........be sure they are getting full sun too.....my husband made the mistake of putting them in partial shade the first year because it was unusually hot....but they wilted and died :(