On Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:53:14 +1100, Richard Sherratt
wrote:

This summer was my first foray into tomato growing. I planted one
sweet bite and two cherry sweet bite plants from the nursery in tubs
on the patio. Tubs are ex recycling containers around 50cm by 25cm by
30cm deep. I filled them with tomato mix from the nursery and also
planted parsley, basil and a marigold in each tub. Probably too much
overboard, but I'm a virgo :-)

The plants went gangbusters for a while and had loads of fruit. Then I
noticed that some of the leaves on the cherry ones were curling up
and going brown. there were brown spots on the leaves. It looked
almost like early blight or septoria leaf spot, but none of the images
on the web are really close matches. The toms look a bit diseased.

Is it OK to dump the plants into the garden waste bin or should they
go into the rubbish bin?
Is it OK to plant somethihng else in the tubs or do I need to get rid
of all the dirt?

The standard sweet bite didn't get the same leaf spots, but the leaves
gradually went brown and the plant stopped growing and producing
fruit. The flowers stopped budding and then they dried up.

Too much sun? One of my neighbours has shade cloth over his tomato
bed.

Tomatoes have had a tough time this season with all of the rain. The use of tomato dust
was mandatory if you wanted a decent crop.

Bin the plants and use the soil for something else other than tomatoes or related plants
(like potatoes, capsicum, chilli and eggplant) or you will spread the problems. I also
like to spray old soil with Yates Anti Rot and some Confidor or Lebaycid prior to re-use.