The plant I pruned the medium amount (beefsteak) has healthy leaves, but they aren't growing anything else. Just recently a stalk has shot up next to the main one and seems to be fairly healthy. this second talk is about 8 inches now.

The one I pruned the most (black prince), sadly has its main leaves wilting to about 5 inches, but another stalk just emerged and grew to about 6 inches in short order. the leaves on the new stalk seem healthy.

I thought I was dealing with some disease at first, then thought maybe the pruning and really started to believe it was the latter when new healthy growth appeared.

I guess my question is, "should I eliminate the dying leaves and stalks and leave just the healthier parts? or is the old growth helping fuel the new growth?

Everything is grown in raised beds with purchased quality black dirt. I checked around to see about who was known for quality soil in my area. I think it's mixed with a mushroom compost.

The beds are filled to 26 inches in height with soil, so there is plenty of room to grown down and everything is caged or staked. I use drinking water safe hoses and drip irrigation on my beds.

all other plants in the bed are doing fine, including eggplant, Summer Squash, three pepper plants, lettuce and onions.

The bed is 10'X 4'.

Short answer: Stop pruning.

Longer answer: Pruning isn't needed. Some do it to for larger, but fewer fruits, or to adapt the plant to their preferred support method and some, like myself, prune any and all leaves touching the ground - or anything below the first flower truss once plants are about 2-3 ft tall (this is done to help air circulation and reduce exposure to soil borne pathogens) and then stop pruning altogether.

It sounds like you've pruned to the point where you plants are heavily stressed by it and have begun to stagnate and / or decline. I would not prune any further unless the leaves in question have some sort of infection (Septoria, Early Blight, etc.) as any pruning is just going to stress them further. Leave them be and just water when needed (deeply - once every 5-7 if no rain).

Dave

I think I am going to do the same thing. I am planning on making a much larger vegetable garden area on the side of my yard. I want many more tomato plants. Some I can expirement on and some I can leave alone. I like learning but I want tomatoes too!

"Experimental" pruning really isn't necessary. Research first all the "how-to" info available.

Dave