I think that it is from the heat. We had a big rain storm one night, and the next day, the rain did not have a chance to dry off of the plants before the sun came out and scorched everything. All of the plants in my rose bed garden have little rain drop sized burn spots on them. They seem to be unaffected otherwise. If it were me, I would not be too worried about it. Do you have any other plants near them? If tomatoes are the only thing that you have in there, what is the worst thing that could happen if you leave them in? A poor crop as opposed to no crop? I am not a veteran gardener by any stretch of the imagination, but to me that just makes sense. You could also just pick off the leaves that appear to be affected, and make sure that the surrounding plants are not touching each other or the ground... 2009-06-27T19:40:12Z false 11417 2482 2009-06-27T19:41:27Z 5779 Hey Stephanie, I'm sorry to say, but it does look like you have bacterial speck or spot. Unfortunately the problem is that it can easily spread to other weeds in the garden, which can then further spread to other tomato plants and Solanums. There are pesticides you can use, the least worst of which is a copper spray. Something by the brand Safer's would be good. Ask to speak to somebody at your garden centre (make sure they know about pesticides, most places in the world require licensing for somebody to give out pesticide advise - I should know, I have mine!) as there are some copper sprays that are "more organic" then others (they'll lack certain inert chemicals). Copper sprays can kill some beneficial insects, so it's best to spray at night when they're not as active. It's spread as well if you (or anything else) touches a plant, and then touches another plant, so if you're weeding, brush up against an infected plant, and then brush up against a non-infected plant. The key is sanitation at this point if you want to keep your plants and try to combat the speck/spot. Next year practise rotation, don't grow any Solanums in the same area where the infected plants are now as its more then likely it'll still be active in the soil, as well as any weed seeds that survive the winter. Sorry to sound all doom and gloom on you! Tropicana - the problem with speck/spot is that it causes the same problem on the fruit as the leaves, and usually ends up causing rot. Also, you can't save any seeds from the infected plants as it will be passed on to the next generation. 2009-06-27T19:46:57Z false 11418 2482 2009-06-27T19:48:38Z 12 Wow! Thanks for the insight kelly! I would have just left mine in, and let it go, as I do not have the funding to go and buy insecticides, and don't know enough about home stuff to combat the problem from that angle!! 2009-06-27T20:15:08Z false 11419 2482 2009-06-27T20:15:08Z 5779 No problem, getting my pesticide dispensers license (which I had to get when I worked at a greenhouse) has proved very helpful in all sorts of situations. 2009-06-27T20:22:25Z false 11420 2482 2009-06-27T20:22:25Z 12 Huh! copper spray. My immediate thought is the old "Bordeaux mix":http://www.oisat.org/control_methods/other_substances/copper.html and sure enough it's counted as acceptable (within limits). I've always thought of Bordeaux as a fungicide, but only because we used it in the orchards against peach leaf curl, that's apparently not the case. Is bordeaux one of the more acceptable ones that you refer to? 2009-06-28T09:36:08Z false 11428 2482 2009-06-28T09:38:07Z 5165 It is one of the more acceptable ones I referred to graibeard! Although I always highly suggest that the regular home gardener just go and get a spray already in liquid form (like I said "Safer's" brand is one of the better ones, and is available almost everywhere) rather then mixing it yourself or using a dry form and then mixing it at home. It can cause problems if not done with correct protective clothing (respiratory mask, gloves, eye gear, etc.) since the copper sulfate can be poisonous and hydrated lime is caustic. 2009-06-28T16:49:46Z false 11438 2482 2009-06-28T16:49:46Z 12 Kelly, thanks so much for your expertise! I ran to the garden center -- sadly, there was nary a Safer's product to be seen, and the only liquid copper they had on the shelf was <a href="http://www.biconet.com/disease/LiquidCop.html">Liqui-Cop</a>. The active ingredient is "Copper Ammonium Complex" (31.4%)... "Other Ingredients" make up the remainder. I couldn't find any information on what the "Other Ingredients" are at all. :/ The website notes that it's a "very economical replacement for Bordeaux mixture," so hopefully it isn't <i>too</i> terrible. I donned elbow-length gloves, covered up from head to toe, sprayed all my plants with the recommended "dose," and plucked off as much affected foliage as I could find last weekend. There is no trace of spotting on the upper leaves or new growth, and the plants have been growing really quickly lately, so I'm hoping if I stay on top of things, I can still get a decent harvest. I really have to keep an eye on the lower leaves... might just take everything off that's still touching the ground. The weather hasn't been fantastic (one of the coldest starts to July of all time -- a whopping 62F/17C high temperature), but I've got my fingers crossed. Words can't really express how wary (terrified, really!) I am about spraying poison onto my edible garden, but at least nothing in the backyard plot is flowering or fruiting yet. Thanks again for the info and advice. PS: The problem tomatoes are growing alongside pole and bush beans, cucumbers, and potatoes. My neighbor's plot, on the other side of the yard, has similarly affected tomatoes and peppers, though all their plants were store-bought. 2009-07-02T20:23:06Z false 11551 72208 2482 2009-07-02T20:23:06Z 756 No problem Stephanie :). Since nothing is flowering or fruiting you should be okay. It's a non-systemic pesticide, which means it isn't soaked into the tissues of the plant and carried throughout its system. I would say when you do start to see flowering and fruiting, stop using it, because you wouldn't want to get it on your fruit (or at least, I wouldn't anyway!). I would suggest you get yourself some goggles though for the next spray time, if it gets in your eye it can cause serious damage! It's interesting that your neighbours are having the same issue. Since theirs were bought from starts at the store, I'd hazard a guess that that's the cause of your problem, since you started all of yours from seed. I'm having the same issue with aphids in my garden right now. Neighbour brought them in, now I'm dealing with them. Fortunately, aphids only require a quick spray of horticultural oil. 2009-07-03T17:19:02Z false 11572 2482 2009-07-03T17:19:02Z 12