A tomato plant that has those symptoms--a sugary-like substance on the leaves and is ripening immature fruit--could be infected with psyllids. If you look closely at the underside of the tomato plant leaves you may notice very small, greenish-colored insects. The sugary substance you mentioned is a strong indication that these insects should be present. The insect in question is a psyllid and the sugary substance is a secretion they produce. Psyllids damage tomato plants (and potatoes also) by sucking and thereby injecting their saliva into the plant. This will cause discoloration of the plant, curling of leaves, and ripening of smaller fruits. A way to control psyllids is to spray the plants with insecticidal soaps. For details and more information, see fact sheet: Potato or Tomato Psyllids

Browse related Faqs by tag: horticulture, insects, garden, tomato, colorado