What's wrong with my plant?
Pick your plant, then what you see. The most likely causes come first, each starting with the mildest fix that works.
1. Which plant?
Common choices
Common questions
Leaves (28)
- What are the black spots on my tomato leaves?
- What causes tip burn on lettuce or brown inner leaves on cabbage and other greens?
- Why are my cucumber leaves turning yellow?
- Why are my tomato leaves curling?
- Why are the newest leaves on my plant coming in yellow while the older leaves look normal?
- What is eating holes in my kale and cabbage leaves?
- Why are the leaves on my tomatoes or peppers yellowing between the veins while the veins stay green?
- Why are my mint leaves turning yellow or getting spots?
- Why are my corn plants pale green or yellow-green?
- Why do my seedlings or young plants have purple or reddish undersides on their leaves?
- Why are the edges of my older leaves turning brown and scorched-looking while the centers stay green?
- Why are my cucumber leaves puckered, crinkled, or distorted?
- Why do my bean leaves have rust-colored spots?
- Why are the leaf edges on my plants crispy and brown after I fertilized?
- Why do my squash leaves look silvery or bleached?
- What's wrong with my tomato plant? A guide to common problems
- Why do my squash, cucumber, or melon leaves have a white powdery coating on them?
- What are the white spots on my plant leaves?
- Why are my blueberry leaves turning red or yellow?
- Why are my garlic leaves turning yellow?
- Why are my basil leaves turning black?
- Why is my oregano leggy or dying?
- Why is my parsley or cilantro turning yellow?
- Why is my rosemary turning brown or dying?
- Why is my thyme woody and dying in the middle?
- How do I tell whether the spots on my plant leaves are bacterial or fungal?
- Why are my pepper plant leaves turning yellow?
- Why are my tomato leaves turning yellow?
Flowers and fruit (17)
- What is that black leathery patch on the bottom of my tomatoes?
- Why are my tomatoes cracking and splitting?
- Why are my cucumbers bitter?
- Why are some of my potatoes hollow inside when I cut them?
- Why do my pepper plants keep dropping their flowers?
- Why does my zucchini flower but not fruit?
- Why do my baby squash turn yellow and rot before they get big?
- Why are my corn ears not filled out?
- Why are my cucumbers hollow inside?
- Why are my cucumbers turning yellow?
- Why are my eggplant flowers falling off?
- Why are my strawberries rotting on the plant?
- Why are my strawberries small or deformed?
- Why are my tomatoes mealy?
- Why are my watermelons small or not sweet?
- My pole bean plants are lush and green but I'm getting very few beans — why?
- My tomato plants are full of flowers but no fruit is setting — why?
Insects and animals (7)
- I have aphids on multiple plants — do I need to spray everything?
- How do I deal with cabbage worms on my kale and other brassicas?
- Deer are eating my garden — what actually works to stop them?
- What's making holes in my vegetable leaves?
- Squirrels keep taking one bite out of my tomatoes — how do I stop them?
- Why are my melon or cantaloupe vines wilting and dying?
- Why are my squash plants wilting?
Seeds and seedlings (8)
- Are old seeds still good?
- Why are my pepper seeds not germinating?
- Why are my seedlings tall, pale, and floppy?
- Why are the first leaves on my seedlings turning yellow?
- What is winter sowing, and which seeds work?
- When should I start seeds indoors?
- Why are my seedlings falling over?
- Why aren't my seeds germinating?
Seedlings (5)
Transplants (5)
- Something is cutting off my seedlings at the base overnight — what is it?
- How do I harden off seedlings before transplanting?
- My transplants look wilted and sad after planting — is this normal?
- Should I bury my tomato plants deep when transplanting?
- Why do my transplants look stunted and aren't growing?
Heat, frost and drought (11)
- Why did my broccoli skip making a head and go straight to flowers?
- What does drought stress actually look like, and how do I know when to water versus when something else is wrong?
- What are the white or tan papery patches appearing on my leaves during a heat wave?
- Why are my tomato plants wilting?
- How can I extend my growing season in fall?
- There's a surprise frost forecast — what should I cover and with what?
- We're in a drought — how do I keep my garden going?
- Why are my Brussels sprouts loose and leafy instead of tight?
- Why is my cilantro bolting so fast?
- Why is my lettuce bitter?
- Why is my spinach bolting?
Soil and fertilizer (12)
- How do you grow potatoes in a container or grow bag?
- My soil is heavy clay — can I actually grow vegetables in it?
- My soil pH is too high (alkaline) — what can I do about it?
- What soil should I put in a raised bed?
- Why does my soil have a white crust on the surface, and why are my plants growing poorly despite watering?
- Should I use fertilizer or compost — what's the difference?
- How do I know if my soil is compacted, and what can I do about it?
- Can you give a plant too much nitrogen, and what does it look like?
- When is the best time to add compost to the garden?
- When and how should I adjust my soil pH, and how long does it take to work?
- Which cover crop should I plant in my garden?
- Why are my carrots forked or hairy?
Harvest and storage (16)
- When and how should I harvest herbs for the best flavor?
- How and when do I prune suckers on indeterminate tomatoes?
- How do I save seeds from my garden plants so they'll grow true next year?
- How do you dig and store dahlia tubers over winter?
- How do I store winter squash so it lasts through winter?
- How do I know when a watermelon is ripe?
- How do I know when to harvest garlic?
- My tomatoes are still green as fall approaches — can they still ripen on the vine?
- Why are my green beans tough, stringy, or chewy instead of tender?
- When should I harvest my onions?
- When are sweet potatoes ready to harvest?
- Why are my cauliflower heads loose, ricey, or turning purple?
- Why are my onion tops falling over?
- Why are my peppers not turning red?
- Why are my potatoes green, and are they safe to eat?
- My potato plants flowered — why are there no potatoes?
Timing (9)
- How do I bring rosemary and other herbs indoors for winter?
- How do I prune raspberries?
- My garlic sprouted in fall. Is that OK?
- When should I prune blueberries?
- What is a last frost date and how do I actually use it?
- What vegetables can I still plant in fall?
- Why are my onions not bulbing?
- Why are my radishes all leaves and no bulb?
- Why is my garlic so small?
All pests, diseases and disorders
Insects and other small pests (29)
- Aphid
- Asparagus Beetle
- Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
- Cabbage Looper
- Cabbage Maggot
- Carrot Rust Fly
- Colorado Potato Beetle
- Corn Earworm / Tomato Fruitworm
- Cucumber Beetle
- Cutworm
- Earwig
- Flea Beetle
- Harlequin Bug
- Imported Cabbageworm
- Japanese Beetle
- Leaf Miner
- Mexican Bean Beetle
- Onion Maggot
- Root-Knot Nematode
- Slug
- Spider Mite
- Squash Beetle
- Squash Bug
- Squash Vine Borer
- Tarnished Plant Bug
- Thrips
- Tomato Hornworm
- Whitefly
- Wireworm