Wondering what to do with those dying tomato plants in your garden this fall?
Summer is certainly tomato season! But once the season comes to a close and the plants start to fade, the question becomes: what should you do with them? Believe it or not, how you handle tomato plants after they die plays a huge role in the health of your soil and the success of next year’s garden.
Some tomato plants naturally reach the end of their life cycle. Determinate tomato varieties, for instance, are designed to set and ripen fruit within a short window of time. Once their crop is finished, they quickly begin to yellow, dry up, and die off. Meanwhile, indeterminate varieties hang on longer deep into the summer and early fall. But all eventually decline from age and stress.
But regardless of the reason your plants finally stop producing – whether it be natural aging or disease – the way you respond is critical. One thing is for sure, leaving plants in the garden too long can create problems that extend well beyond the current season, putting your soil and next year’s harvest at risk.
What To Do With Dying Tomato Plants
Remove Tomato Plants As Soon As They Begin To Fade
The very first step is to get old or dying tomato plants out of the garden quickly. Weak or declining plants are easy targets for pests and disease. And the longer they remain in the ground, the more chances those issues have to spread.
Even healthy-looking plants that are simply at the end of their life cycle can still harbor pathogens once they start breaking down. If your plants have already been infected with blight, wilt, or mildew, the risks multiply. See our article: How To Protect Tomato Plants From Blight.
Blight spores, for example, are tough survivors. They can live in the soil for as long as five years. If the infected plant is left in place until it completely decays, millions of spores can settle into the ground, waiting to attack new seedlings the following year. The moment a fresh tomato transplant goes into the ground the next season, the spores are ready to invade.
By pulling out plants as soon as they show signs of decline, you stop the spread before it has a chance to get worse. The sooner you remove them, the safer the rest of your garden will be.
Clear Out Every Bit Of Debris
Simply pulling a dying tomato plant out isn’t enough. Tomato plants leave behind stems, roots, and leaves. And even more, plenty of fruit that falls off during the season. You need to take out every bit of leftover debris from your tomato plants.
Leaving plant debris in place gives diseases a chance to linger and pests a safe haven to overwinter. Rotten tomatoes are especially troublesome. In addition to carrying disease, they are magnets for pests such as aphids, hornworms, and nematodes.
These insects aren’t just feeding when they arrive – they’re also laying eggs that will survive the winter. By the time spring rolls around, those eggs hatch and create an instant problem for your new plants.
This is why it’s important to walk through the garden at the end of the season and pick up all remaining plant material, right down to the smallest tomato lying on the soil. The cleaner your garden space is, the fewer issues you will face when you begin planting again. But whatever you do – don’t throw those tomato plants in your compost pile!
Why Not To Compost Tomato Plants
For many vegetable crops, the end of the season means chopping them up and tossing them into the compost pile. Beans, peas, and even many leafy greens break down beautifully and add valuable nutrients to compost. But tomato plants are the exception.
Tomatoes carry too many risks for a backyard compost pile. The average home compost bin simply doesn’t get hot enough to kill off pathogens and pests. Spores from diseases like blight can survive the composting process, waiting to infect plants when the compost is used later.
The same is true for the fruit. Not only can the diseases inside tomatoes remain alive in compost, but the seeds will also survive. That means when you spread the finished compost in your garden, you could unintentionally plant hundreds of volunteer tomatoes in unwanted spaces.
The bottom line is simple: tomato plants and tomato fruit don’t belong in the home compost pile. Keeping them out prevents a long list of problems from showing up in the future.
Safe Ways To Dispose Of Dying Tomato Plants
If composting is not an option, what should you do with the plants? Luckily, there are several safe ways to get rid of them.
One method is to set up a completely separate compost pile that you do not use for your vegetable garden. This pile can be used for ornamental beds, shrubs, or trees. Since you won’t be using the compost on food crops, there’s less risk of disease spreading where it matters most. Just be sure to keep this pile far away from your main garden.
Another choice is to bury the plants in a trench well away from your vegetable patch. Dig a hole, place the plants inside, and cover them deeply with soil. By keeping them separate from your food garden, you reduce the chance that pathogens will spread into your growing space.
Burning the plants is another very effective way to eliminate diseases and pests. The heat from the fire kills spores, pathogens, and seeds. If you go this route, make sure you follow local burn laws and always practice fire safety.
Finally, you can bag up the plants and place them in the trash. Many communities also operate commercial composting centers. Unlike backyard bins, these facilities reach the high heat needed to kill off pathogens safely. It makes them an excellent option when available.
Recharging The Soil After Clearing Tomato Plants
Once you take out your dying tomato plants and debris – the focus turns to your soil. Tomatoes are heavy feeders, and over the course of the growing season, they pull a large amount of nutrients from the ground. Clearing the plants is just step one. The next step is restoring life back into the soil.
The best way to do this is by planting a cover crop. Cover crops are a simple but powerful way to recharge soil health. Instead of leaving soil bare, which allows weeds, pests, and erosion to take hold, a cover crop blankets the ground with living roots and greenery.
Depending on where you live, options for cover crops might include oats, rye, clover, or winter wheat. These crops grow thick and protect the soil surface. As they grow, they add organic matter and help loosen compacted ground. Affiliate Link: No-Till Cover Crop 13-Seed Mix (1 lb. Bag)
When they die back naturally or are mowed off in the spring, they break down and add valuable nutrients right back into the soil.
Cover crops also play another important role: they stop weed seeds from finding a home. Bare soil is an open invitation for weeds to germinate. A cover crop shades the ground and keeps many of those seeds from sprouting in the first place.
By planting cover crops after your tomato plants are gone, you not only heal the soil but also prepare it for healthier, stronger plants next year. Here is to getting those dying tomato plants out of the soil this fall, recharging your soil – and to growing a great tomato crop next year!
Simple Garden Life
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