Grow Your Own Magazine

My tomatoes are growing well, but my leaves are curling up and turning brown.

I have got them in a plastic greenhouse. I've got plenty of fruit on them so i'm wondering if they are going to be ok.

This is the first time i've grown them. So any help would be most appreciated.

Muriel

"my leaves are curling up"

Feeding too generous?

"turning brown"

Possibly scorch from the sun - have you got any shading on the greenhouse e.g. whitewash [greenhouse approved type only please, its got to come off again!]

Hello Muriel. tomatoes curl their leaves if they are not happy, but what they are not happy about is not always obvious - but usually too hot, too cold, too wet , too dry. The brown could be sun scorch. Tomatoes don't really like to be too hot. !8 to 22 degrees is plenty for them.
The good news is they usually go on to make good fruit even if the leaves are a mess, so don't despair. Good luck and hope your toms do well.

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

Mine were curling up like that too a few weeks ago, but I watered them with some liquid seaweed, and they're ok now. Saying that, it's only my second year growing them, so I wouldn't take my word for it, but it did seem to work.

In actual fact, I was reading online about removing a lot of the leaves anyway, to concentrate energy into the fruits. I am considering researching this a bit more, and cutting the "useless" leaves off.
It looks a bit scary though, but it should help against blight!

"cutting the "useless" leaves off"

Opinions vary about this, and I've seen claims of success for both methods.

My view: unless the leaves are damaged, or clearly knackered, leaving them on contributes energy to the plant.

My greenhouse glass was painted with oil based white undercoat by a previous occupant!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

They could very well be too hot. I wouldn't worry too much about the leaves, but if your temperature raches the 30s the flowers just drop without setting fruit. Make sure your mini greenhouse is well ventilated.

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Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

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