What's wrong with my plant?
Start with what you can see. Pick the symptom that matches your plant, read what usually causes it, then open the full profile for treatment and prevention. Every profile is written for edible crops and lists organic-first remedies.
Why are my plant's leaves turning yellow?
Leaves fade from green to yellow, often starting on the lowest leaves or between the veins. Watering, feeding, root damage, wilts and viruses can all read this way, so the pattern matters more than the colour.
What are the brown or black spots on my leaves?
Round, angular or target-shaped marks, sometimes with a yellow halo or a dark ring. Spots that spread in wet weather usually point to a leaf disease rather than a watering problem.
Why is my plant wilting even though the soil is damp?
Leaves or whole stems collapse during the day. Damp soil with a wilting plant points at roots or stem tissue, not thirst.
What is the white powder on my plant's leaves?
A dusty white or greyish film on the leaf surface, sometimes with fuzzy growth underneath the leaf.
What is eating holes in my plant's leaves?
Ragged holes, edge notches or skeletonised leaves, often overnight. This is usually an insect or slug, not a disease.
- Angular leaf spotCucumber, Cantaloupe / Melon, Zucchini, Winter squash
- Bacterial spotTomato, Pepper
- Bacterial wilt of cucurbitsCucumber, Cantaloupe / Melon, Zucchini, Winter squash
- Black rot (grape)Grape
- Downy mildew (cucurbit)Cucumber, Cantaloupe / Melon, Watermelon, Zucchini
- Frost / chill injuryTomato, Pepper, Zucchini, Cucumber
Why is my plant rotting at the stem or fruit?
Soft, dark, sunken tissue at the soil line, on roots, or on the bottom of a fruit, sometimes with a smell.
Why has my plant stopped growing?
Small, pale, distorted or curled new growth while nothing obvious is on the leaves. Roots, viruses and sap-feeding insects all show up here.
A name for the problem isn't the same as a fix
Most plant apps stop once they've named what you're looking at. Inside Harvestead, a photo turns into a plan that stays with the bed it came from.
- Photograph it. The Guardian's Cropwright ability reads the leaf and explains what it sees, in plain language, with what it isn't sure about.
- Get a plan with timing. What to do today, this week and over the season, why each step matters, and the materials you'll need.
- Keep the record. The diagnosis and what you did save to that bed, so next season you can see whether it worked.
7 days free. No card needed to start, cancel anytime, and no surprise charges.
Keep looking
- Disease library — every profile by symptom, host crop and organic treatment.
- Pest library — who's chewing, and what stops them without harming pollinators.
- Crop guides — the conditions each crop actually wants, so problems don't start.