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splotchy yellow on vegetables in a home garden #872634

Asked June 11, 2024, 1:54 PM EDT

Hello. We have two raised beds next to one another with various veggies. One with. tomatoes and one with Cilantro, peppers, Italian. Parsley, Basil, zucchini, and Bok Choy. There is also a tomato plant in a container about 25 yards away. All plants (tomatoes, Cilantro, Zucchini seem the worst...peppers so far unaffected) have developed a splotchy yellow discoloration and the leaves/plants are not healthy in general, All veggies were purchased from the same retail outlet (Grange Coop). A nearby herb garden in a raised bed be seems unaffected (plants from another nursery). We DID change out the soil in all THREE of these raised beds this spring and amended all similarly with blood meal, trace minerals, organic fertilizer as well as soil building amendments from the nursery. Since the herb garden in thriving, but all veggies including the tomato in a pot 25 yards away and planted in completely different commercial potting soil (Happy Frog) are mostly affected (varying degrees), it seems logical that it is not the soil, weather patterns, etc....and seems to us to be a contagious virus. Thoughts? Aside from removing and disposing of ALL plants, what can or should be done? Can the soil be either treated if necessary, or will the suspected virus die off without hosts? (how long?). REALLY hoping we don't have to remove all soil...lot of work for us older people! Thank you!

Jackson County Oregon

Expert Response

It's my belief that this is a fungal disorder. the faact that you changed out the soil and that the problem is widespread leads me to believe that all that mostly nighttime showers are to blame. the fact that disease  usually appears  on one plant and slowly spreads to others is not what's going on here.  A lot of folks have the same complaint as you.You could use an organic copper fungal spray just to be onthe 
marjorie n. OSU Ext. Master Gardener Replied June 12, 2024, 11:13 PM EDT

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