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Anyone a gardener? Great, blah blah smalltalk. I have a problem / question.

I have three tomato plants this year (a Roma, a grape, and something I forgot...just kind of a medium-sized, typical looking tomato). The lattermost of those three plants has yellowing around edges of leaves, with blackish-brown spots on some. The other two both have fruits with one or two small (bigger than a penpoint, smaller than a magic marker...maybe a sharpie?) black dots on several fruits. Just today, I saw a large (the size of a quarter), black beetle just sitting on a grape tomato. Not moving. I smacked him off with a stick and he flew out of the garden. Twenty minutes later, he or a similar looking pal of his were on one of the other plants' fruits, again not moving. Just ... sitting there.

Any ideas as to what's causing the leaf discoloration, black dots on fruit? Is it this bastard of a beetle? I'm in Minnesota, if that helps anyone's diagnosis.

Back to the general topic, I'm a half-assed gardener. I like fresh herbs, mostly, so I have thyme, mint, rosemary, oregano, savory, parsley, cilantro, dill, chives, and sage. I've also got the three aforementioned tomato plants, a tomatillo plant, a jalapeno plant, and a couple of other chilis whose name I forgot. And strawberries. And rhubarb. I don't spend a lot of time on them, and if I had to, I'd just quit doing it altogether. But this is maybe the fourth or fifth year I've had tomatoes and I've never had this issue before.

Assistance would be much appreciated. Otherwise, if anyone just feels like talking about their gardening or farming experience, well, that's lovely too.

Could be blight (fungus)

Had a lot of rain or humid conditions - plants packed in close?  If things are a bit hot and sweaty with poor air circulation, well...

Pull the leaves off and chuck 'em in the bin or burn them or mutilate them in some other satisfying fashion because it's likely your plants are on the way out due to the blight, it's like cancer for plants (fingers crossed for recovery tho). (Just don't compost them, or the fungus will stick around).

Ask your local nusery about the beetles if you can be bothered - they might be good ones that don't munch the plant but munch little bugs.  If so, you'll want 'em on your side.

It's winter here so have let the grounds go wild - after the frosts, I have 35 rose bushes to prune and deweed.

Thinking 'bout callng the concrete truck

Well, damnit, I think you've diagnosed my problem. It has been a hot and humid July (and somewhat in August), with upper 80s Fahrenheit pretty regularly and humidity in the 70-80+% range, and I did plant the tomatoes closer together than was recommended. See, my whole garden is actually only about 12' long and about 2' on one end to 4' or so on the other. You see how much I crammed in there by my first post.

The poor little beetles I tossed aside might not have been to blame after all. Guess I should've tossed myself aside. Tomorrow I'll get after the bad leaves. Thanks for the insights!

Re the beetles, withhold your sympathies until you double check with nursery dudes first - while not to blame for fungus, they may still be f--kers; I goog'ed this for ya if it helps - http://www.insectidentification.org/insects-by-state.asp?thisState=Minnesota (http://www.insectidentification.org/insects-by-state.asp?thisState=Minnesota) - Minnesota, yah? (Yeah, dumb Fargo joke, irresistible).  Number 32 looks a particularly vicious little thug.

Where's Roger the Shrubber when he's needed?  :lol

OK, this is done, and while one of the three tomato plants is pretty sad looking, at least what's left appears healthy for now. I'll keep an eye on them to see whether the blight spreads or appears anywhere else. Thanks again for the tip.

But sadly it looks like I'll be leaning more heavily on my CSA tomatoes this year. Less homemade salsa...

For future reference, plants do get spreading diseases, so it's best to destroy through burning or to plastic bag and toss diseased remnants; don't let them hang around your yard. Also, don't water in the evening because if the water is not absorbed or evaporated reasonably quickly, fungus and bacteria can grow and damage your plants. Try to water the ground, not the plants, in the morning deep enough that the water gets down to the deepest roots. The plant will absorb what it wants then the rest of the water will dry out before bad things settle in.

Just a few suggestions with regard to future tomatoes. I'm a quite experienced organic vegetable and herb grower so you can send me questions if you like.

Thanks, Emily.

It was indeed a rough year for tomatoes. And my single tomatillo plan--which I'd never tried before--produced precisely zero ripe fruits. (A few grew to marble-sized, but that was it.) Conversely, my herbs and various chile peppers did fine. Alas, the season officially ends in about 36 hours, according to the forecast. We'll be getting our first frost.

Yeah, my brother lives in St. Cloud. You've got short seasons up there! Or rather a short growing season. A loooong not growing season.

True, though from our perspective, our growing season is getting longer as our winters are moderating and shortening somewhat. But yes, still compared to most places, we have ... let's call it a lengthy rough stretch!