Solve a Growing Problem

Start with what you can see. These practical guides help you narrow down likely causes, make a useful first check and choose a proportionate organic response.

Before you treat anything: identify the crop, check moisture below the surface and note recent weather. The same symptom can have several causes; a yellow leaf or a wilted plant is a clue, rather than a diagnosis.

What is happening to your plants?

My vegetable leaves are turning yellow

Check which leaves are affected, whether roots are too wet or too dry, and when feeding might actually help. For tomatoes, use the detailed tomato leaf-problem guide.

My plants are wilting, even after watering

Separate dry roots from waterlogging, temporary heat stress and damage that needs closer investigation.

My seedlings are collapsing or dying

Recognise possible damping off, distinguish it from stretching or drying out, and protect the next sowing.

My plants flower but produce little fruit

Understand pollination, temperature and crop differences before changing your feeding or removing plants. Growing tomatoes? Go straight to tomato flowers but no fruit.

My tomatoes will not ripen

Use the established tomato guide to investigate small crops and slow ripening, and decide what to do as the season ends.

Something is eating my vegetable leaves

Use damage patterns, direct observation and crop-specific checks to choose proportionate organic protection. For more detail, see identifying garden pests and damage.

My seeds are not germinating

Check seed age, moisture, temperature and sowing depth before deciding whether to wait or resow. The seed-sowing guide covers the full method.

My vegetables are bolting or going to seed

Understand how cold, heat, day length and stress affect different crops, and plan the next batch.

My tomatoes or peppers have dark patches at the flower end

Recognise possible blossom-end rot and check water supply before adding calcium or extra fertiliser. The detailed guide explains prevention and includes peppers.

My root vegetables are small, forked or split

Compare spacing, maturity, soil structure, moisture and feeding to improve the next root harvest.

Make three checks first

Look at the whole plant. Is the problem on one leaf, one side, one plant or an entire bed? Photograph both healthy and affected growth.
Check the root zone. Feel the soil or compost a few centimetres down. A dry surface can hide wet roots, while a quick sprinkle may leave a dry root ball untouched.
Look back at recent changes. Heat, cold, heavy rain, transplanting and a new feed or spray can all explain a sudden change.

Make one appropriate change at a time and watch fresh growth. Old damage may remain even when the cause has been corrected. If a problem spreads quickly, or you find rotting stems, unusual distortion or persistent collapse in moist soil, identify the crop-specific cause before choosing a treatment.

More help with growing

Browse the growing guides for soil, watering and organic pest management, or find your crop for its particular needs.

Keep a note of symptoms, weather and what you changed. Your Growing Companion provides a place to organise garden records, alongside free frost/cold alerts and a sowing calendar, with a 14-day trial of premium features.

By Simon Adams · Published 27 October 2026. Guidance should be adapted to your crop, climate and growing conditions.