| Symptoms | Possible causes | Possible cures |
| Dying young plants | Fertilizer burn | Mix fertilizer thoroughly with soil |
| Disease (damping off) | Use treated seed |
| ________ |
| Stunted plants, pale to yellow | Low soil fertility | Soil test for fertilizer |
| Poor soil drainage | Add organic matter |
| Shallow or compacted soil | Work soil deeper |
| Insects or diseases | Identify and use control measures |
| Nematodes | Use approved chemicals |
| ________ |
| Stunted plants, | Low temperature | Plant at recommended time |
| purplish color | Lack of phosphorus | Add phosphorus fertilizer |
|
| Holes in leaves | Insects | Identify and use control measures |
| Hail | Be thankful it was not worse
| | ________ |
| Spots, molds, darkened areas on leaves and stems | Disease | Identify, spray or dust; use recommended rate and time |
| Chemical burn | Use recommended chemicals at recommended rate and time |
| Fertilizer burn | Keep fertilizer off plants |
| ________ |
| Wilting plants | Dry soil | Irrigate if possible |
| Excess soil moisture | Avoid over-watering |
| Disease | Use resistant varieties if possible |
| ________ |
| Weak, spindly plants | Too much shade | Move garden to sunny area |
| Plants too thick | Seed at recommended rate |
| Too much nitrogen | Avoid excessive fertilization |
| ________ |
| Failure to set fruit | Improper temperatures | Plant at recommended time |
| Too much nitrogen | Avoid excessive fertilization |
| Insects | Identify and use control measures |
| ________ |
| Tomato leaf curl | Heavy pruning in hot weather | Do not prune; use cages |
| ________ |
| Dry brown to black | Low soil calcium | Add gypsum |
| rot on blossom end of tomato | Extremely dry soil | Irrigate and mulch |
| ________ |
| Misshapen tomatoes (catfacing) | Cool weather during blooming | Plant at recommended time |
| ________ |
| Abnormal leaves and growth | 2,4-D weed killer | Do not use sprayer that has, previously applied 2,4-D; do not allow spray to drift to garden |
| Virus disease | Remove infected plants to prevent spreading; control insects that transmit |