I'd like to send you pictures of my 2 tomato issues. #1- Plants had yellowing leaves & stems that turned crispy brown, starting from the bottom and working up. Now plants are bare of all leaves except for a few at the top. Fruit is not affected, but obviously no new flowers. Checked this web site, doesn't look like speck or blight. Plants growing new branches from the bottom. #2- The 1 plant that doesn't have the issue above looks great, but the fruits get a brown spot on the side (like a bruise) that then gets soft and nasty. Thanks for any help. I'll be happy to send photos, Lorna

Without a true diagnostics test, your tomato plants appear to have suffered from one of several foliage diseases that causes the leaves to fall off leaving the fruits exposed with a small amont of newer leaves at the top of the plant. This normally starts at the base of the plant (where the fungal spores overwintered in the soil and plant debris) and move up with rain events or splashing water from irrigation. Depending on species or variety, disease resistance can vary greatly. Heritage varieties have NO disease resistance and can impacted quickly. As the season progresses other plant parts fail as there is not enough resources to fulfil fruits and stems at the same time. the fruit with the damage on the skin was eaten by an insect that has chewing mouth parts like a worm or catipiller. Exposed fruits will scald and sunburn. There are a number of fruit diseases that will cause a fruit to decline. Once an infection takes place the decay radiates out in a circle from there and into the meaty tissue below. Without adequate foliage the plants just hang on, not really producing new leaves or flowers.. Clean up these plants carefully at the end of the season and do not compost them. Get as much of the dead leaves picked up as you can.