Yes, the squiggly lines on picture 141 do look like Leaf Miners, which are not that uncommon in TX, but there's more that I* see wrong in some of the other pictures but I don't know if all are the same plants, or not.

I'll let you go to Google.com and enter something like...leaf miner tomato... to find some links b/c different sites have different ideas as to how to control Leaf Miners.

And it doesn't look like a heavy infestation at this point, at least based on that one photo, so removing affected foliage might be the best way to go.

Carolyn

Thanks Carolyn. I will do a search regarding leaf minor. As for the photos, they are all from the same plant. What else do you see that may be happening with my plant?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Michelle

I find the leaf-miner damage minor (I wouldn't worry about it). There is something chewing on the leaves (caterpillar, slug, ????). I would go out at night with a flashlight. However, that damage to me doesn't look that bad either. The whole plant looks miserable (sorry)--how much sun is it getting a day--is it enough? I know you are in Texas and probably need to water alot but it looks overwatered to me. I also find miracle gro soil to be on the heavy side and it tends to hold water. I would also pull back the mulch away from the stem a few inches.
A cheap water (moisture) meter helps. If you tell me it is not overwatered--I will leave it to others to hazard a guess. Also how have you fertilized?
(Your problem is just not your typical 'begins at the bottom' type of foliage disease.)

Farkee,

I have no idea if my plant is being over watered. Since it's so hot, I've been watering every evening, but maybe I'm watering too much. I will pick up a water meter this weekend. Also, I'm not sure if it's getting enough sun, either. It is located on the east side of my house where I also have my herbs growing. The herbs seem to be doing well, but maybe they don't require as much sunlight. The area seems a bit shaded so maybe I need to try moving the plant to a sunnier location. I hate to admit, but I have not fertilized. I don't know what to use. Any suggestions? I will take a look at the plant at night and see if I can figure out what is eating it. I have seen one ugly bug that looks a lot like a roach crawling out of the soil. Could this be the problem? I'm at such a loss. I agree, the poor plant does look miserable.

I need to add that I took a stem from the plant and noticed that very little clear liquid came out. It looked almost dry inside. Is this a sign of illness or is this normal?

Thanks again for all the advice.

Tomatoes need 6-8 hours of sunshine a day BUT you are in Texas so I just don't know what people do in your area because of the heat. Without enough light they get lanky and foliage looks more sparse. You do need to water containers quite a bit, even everyday if it is hot, but I found that some potting mixes do hold water more so until you know for sure about your mix , I do think a cheap water meter helps. And eventually no matter what you do they are going to start declining as they age. I believe you can plant again for a fall crop but someone from Texas would have to help you on that.

The fertilizer in your mix would have long been used up and containers need fertilizer--just think- you water every day so you eventually don't have any nutrients left at all. WIth no fertilizer that plant had nothing to nurish it and make it a grow. As to what type and how much--there seems to be as many answers as there are people who grow in containers. You can use time-released (dynamite), Miracle gro (follow label), homemade compost, EarthJuice, Espomo products (see web site), natural fertilizers, fish/seaweed emulsion, etc, etc. I use the latter-- the natural and fish stuff but am going to try something from espomo too as alot of people like it. I also put dolomite in the mix-1 cup in a very large bag (75 quarts).
If you can swing it--(cost $40) an Earthbox is a great product for the beginner. Fertilize once and then water through a tube, impossible to overwater or mess up. I have 7 but I also have about 30 -15 gal. containers. and 6 - 50 gal. ones. I also always mulch the containers.
If it was a cockroach you saw-don't worry about it. You find them alot in compost.
I don't know about the cut stem and what you saw but remember you first have to grow healthy plants or you will see all sorts of problems develop with stressed and unhealthy plants. Good luck and remember you learn alot every growing season.

Thank you Farkee for the info. A friend of mine thinks I may have a problem with black fly. Though she has not seen my plant, she lives in the area and said black fly seems to be a big problem for her garden. She also suggested that I fertilize the plant just as you suggested. I don't know what is safe to use on my plant for black fly. I have small tomatoes growing on it and I don't want to put a bunch of harsh chemicals on them. One lady in my neighborhood said she uses 7-dust. I don't know much about 7-dust other than I remember my mother using it in her garden. Do you know anything about it or do you suggest anything in particular when it comes to black fly? I read on one web site that someone uses garlic, dish soap and water to spray on their plants. They say this repels just about anything. I'm afraid to make my own concoction, as last year I put too much dish soap in my spray bottle and ended up killing my plants. Thank goodness, as you said, that we learn alot from each growing season. I know better than to put so much dish soap in my spray bottle.

Thanks again for the help. I am going to move the plant to a sunnier location, keep watering every day but monitor it with a water meter, give it some fertilizer, look into a good pest control, and check out the Earthbox that you mentioned. I'll keep you and everyone else posted on how my plant does. Thanks.