That's insect damage. Probably leaf miners. You could remove the tiny leaf and the leaf on the end.

Linda

thank you - i haven't noticed any insects on the leaves so didn't think it was from them

anything that can be done to detract them?

another photo of the whole plant - yellow pear fwiw

They are tiny caterpillars that live, sandwiched, between the leaf layers. I often find them on my Columbines. I usually remove any leaves that are damaged.

Are you growing in garden soil or potting mix?

I think that your Yellow Pear probably needs some fertilizer to bulk it up a bit.

Linda

I've just left my leaf miners there, since they never seem many on the tomato.

I agree that a feeding is in order (if not done recently), also when you show us a dry pot, we can't be sure how often it is that dry.

Nothing beats the bamboo skewer (12" long, just left in the pot and pulled up like a car's dip stick) to know what's going on down below.

I am using a compost/soil/sand mix that is working fine, with regular watering (drip) and light fertilizer (MiracleGro type, every 2-3 weeks).

Actually I'm going to 1/2 tsp of 15-30-15 per gallon per plant per week now that they are about 6 feet tall and seeming to burn through their feedings pretty fast.

its 5-1-1 mix with compost in place of some of the peat and ~1 layer of compost on top

i've been doing the weak/weekly feedings twice since i got it and transplanted it and plan on doing a full strength dose this weekend.

the top 2" or so of the mix is dry but my fingertip hit damp "soil" this morning when I last checked about 2 1/2" deep - i'm trying not to overwater as I think I was doing the 1st week or so after transplanting

the dowel you see in the background underneath my main planter is used for checking moisture as well

they will be getting watered this evening after work - i'll remove those leaves as well

thank you for the help everyone

Your mix looks very fine and compacted. I also grow in 511 mix and it is much coarser and drains extremely fast. Your plant definitely needs help. Looks a bit leggy. How much sun is it getting? The minor damage to the leaf is the least of the problems. It also needs more food. Sorry I'm jumping around. Is it possible you could freshen up the mix while the plant is still small?

i've been doing the weak/weekly feedings twice since i got it and transplanted it and plan on doing a full strength dose this weekend.

With what fertilizer please. Frequency is only one issue, the product used is even more important and that poor plant is anemic and very nitrogen hungry so I'd suggest something other than what you have been using so far.

Dave.

neptunes harvest fish/seaweed emulsion 2-3-1
- I had read somewhere to not feed too much when the plant has transplant shock - leaves were curled for the 1st week or so - there is also flaxmeal in the mix but I know that hasn't broken down at all to add anything yet

- i thought it looked a little leggy after I got it and saw some photos so I buried about 40% of it - it gets ~8 hours of direct light now - I suspect it may have been a little neglected but we were set on getting this variety (yes I know...) and figured it could be recovered.

the top of the soil that's visible is only compost -the mix is much more coarse underneath. with recent temps in the low 70's and some morning haze it seems to dry out in about 2 days

i bought some 5-1-1 fish emulsion and gave all my veggies and this guy a full dose feeding.

i also realized that the watering can I had was bigger than I thought so I was really diluting down the previous feedings

I noticed a leaf miner trail on one of my bush bean leaves so I cut that section off - is there anything that can be done to repel or deter leaf miners aside from cutting off leaves they are in?

i bought some 5-1-1 fish emulsion and gave all my veggies and this guy a full dose feeding.

They should show some real improvement from that. The 2-3-1 can be used full strength since it is so low concentration.

Leaf miners - no real control other than covering the plants with row fabric so the flies can't get to them to lay eggs. But the don't normally pose a real threat to the plants. You'd have to have over 50% of the leaves severely damaged to be any real threat.

Dave

Glad you got some fertilizer, but it just doesn't seem like a 5-1-1 dose is enough food to get that plant going. I think johns.coastal... above mentioned that he's using a 15-30-15 and his plants are thriving 6' high. Not sure if you want to stay organic or not, but either way, just suggesting a bit more food. In a side note, I had a bias toward underfertilizing my plants for years. It was a breakthrough when I finally allowed myself to give them enough food.

i'm trying to keep it organic - i'll feed them more frequently if necessary and def will be feeding at stronger doses now