Comments on: Leggy Tomato Plants

By: van zwettler

van zwettler — Sun, 30 May 2010 23:15:51 +0000

I did just that, removed all branchs,leaves,etc. I planted 28 tomato plants ( a variety )… They were all extremely leggy, I layed them in a trench, approx. 3inchs deep at the root end. I exposed just the very top of the plants… That was May 15th. By the 25th ( 10 days ), I could not believe the size of the stems!!! They went from very spiny to 1 1/2 times the thickness of a pencil! I haven’t lost a single plant. —–WOW planting them sideways REALLY works,–thanks

By: Kenny Point

Kenny Point — Mon, 10 May 2010 15:08:38 +0000

Van, remove the tomato leaves that will wind up underground along with any stems connecting them to the plant.

By: van zwettler

van zwettler — Mon, 10 May 2010 00:54:56 +0000

My tomato plants are way leggy ( 15-18 inchs tall, spiny). I understand the part about planting them at a angle. And removing leaves that will be under the surface. My question is, when I remove lower leaves, do I remove lower stems also, or just the leaves?

By: Bobbi

Bobbi — Thu, 21 May 2009 00:55:04 +0000

Hi, I live in southeast texas and I’ve had vegetable gardens for years in the summer with great success. I recently moved to a rental and made a raised bed to avoid tilling the ground. I have a mixture of topsoil, garden soil and potting soil in the bed, and I have tomatoes, bell peppers and jalapenos planted. The tomatoes are doing great, but the bell peppers are leaning, and not from weight, the stalk itself is leaning and they are not producing much or looking healthy. Does anyone have any idea what the problem might be?

By: Kathleen Hall

Kathleen Hall — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 05:26:43 +0000

Thank you so much, Kenny. I have lost plants because I didn’t understand why they were leaning over and later breaking. As time goes by, I am sure to get better with my gardening. Naysayers…..watch me grow! This is a wonderful site with very helpful people. So glad that I found it!

By: Kenny Point

Kenny Point — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 04:10:28 +0000

Hi Kathleen, sounds like your vegetable seedlings are not getting enough light. If you want to start your own seeds indoors it’s really best to have some type of supplemental light source to help them grow strong until they can be transplanted outdoors. Don’t pay any mind to the doubters… stick with it, keep learning, and I’m sure your garden will grow!

By: Kathleen Hall

Kathleen Hall — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 17:58:09 +0000

This is my very first garden ever! I planted tomato, bell pepper and okra plants in a small, plastic covered “greenhouse” I purchased at a local store. Using the pellets provided I added seeds and placed the container on the fridge. My results were tall and “leggy” vegetable with only one set of leaves. What am I doing wrong? I have been told that I won’t grow anything. Would like to prove them wrong.

By: Kenny Point

Kenny Point — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 13:28:22 +0000

Hi Kendra, check your cucumbers for signs of Cucumber Beetle activity. These small, yellow insects with black spots or stripes don’t cause much actual damage to plants when feeding, but they may transmit diseases such as bacterial wilt and mosaic virus that can cause later problems and kill your plants. Susceptible crops include tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, squash, and melons.