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Plants die in this area of the garden #877209

Asked July 14, 2024, 8:02 PM EDT

I have an area of my vegetable garden that has done poorly for several years. The plants will initially do well, by July they start to wilt and die. Tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes do the worst. Winter squash does ok, and garlic seems to do just fine. I have tried to fertilize with compost, water more, water less, with no improvement. I even tried avoiding planting tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes in this area for 3 years, but this year I tried tomatoes again and the same thing is happening. I did a soil test last year and it is attached. Please let me know if you have any thoughts. Thanks!

Ramsey County Minnesota

Expert Response

Thank you for writing.  I do not believe the problem is related to fertilizers.  Closeups of the stems and undersides of leaves would be more useful for assessing insects.
Frankly the pattern of injury looks most like herbicide drift from the use of herbicides upwind. 
https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-news/noticing-herbicide-drift-your-garden
https://gardenprofessors.com/catch-my-drift-herbicide-drift-curling-tomato-leaves-and-food-safety/
http://extension.msstate.edu/publications/herbicide-damage-tomatoes

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