Topic: The dreaded tomato blight

[Little Bean]

Well, blight has appeared on my tomato plants in the back garden  :'(.  After two years of getting away with it, me and Mr Little Bean spent yesterday afternoon rinsing the tomatoes in a Milton fluid solution and stacking them in trays.  Only one fruit was affected (so far), so hopefully the Milton will have slowed the process in the other (green) tomatoes. Although  I suspect will be matching a big batch of chutney in the near future.  I learned this evening too that the tomatoes on the allotments have all been affected too......

[TEL]

Hi LB sorry to hear that.
 what dose blight look like

[plot51A]

My sympathies Little Bean having lost all mine this year. Sounds like you've spotted it really early, so hopefully lots of your crop will ripen safely. Best of luck.

[return of the mac]

I think ive got it on my tatties too, but i dont know what to do ??? . Help!?

[redimp]

If it is bad, cut the foliage down when it is dry and burn.  Wait two weeks before harvesting your potatoes.  If it is not bad, you can remove folliage as it becomes infected.  I have not had it but became so paranoid reading these boards (and not bordeauxing) that I have read everything I can find.

[moonbells]

Hi LB sorry to hear that.
 what dose blight look like

This, unfortunately.   :( :'(




Grrr. They were doing so well.  There were a few choice comments yesterday when I found this (Someone told me Sungella were prone to it). Spotted another one going west today, as well as one of the gartenperles (which was touching the infected plant.)  Have plastic bags full of green toms lurking about the kitchen waiting for me to do something with them.  And a couple of carrier bags of tomato haulm...

moonbells

[Doris_Pinks]

Mine are doing the same Moonbells, they were looking sooooooooooo  healthy this year too, thought I had gotten away with it!   :'(

[tim]

moonbells - your affliction seems to have affected the trusses rather than the foliage? Strange?

mac - just cut off the haulms & dispose with care. Wait 2-3 weeks before lifting. The tubers will probably be fine.

Green Tomatoes? They'll ripen slowly indoors over the next month or so.

[moonbells]

moonbells - your affliction seems to have affected the trusses rather than the foliage? Strange?

There is some foliage blotching but it's mostly blackening on the stems and the calyxes prior to the whole tomato going rotten.

Got all of them off on Friday night and they're currently sitting in carrier bags about 4' away from me right now, as I didn't get time to sort them this weekend (had to rescue a friend who needed company as her hubbie is away in Europe - it's a hard life as she wanted to go to Kew*!)

Now to ripen the beggars! Have two nice overripe bananas downstairs ready and waiting.

moonbells

*Chihuly exhibition is fascinating, if peculiar!

[Belle]

I've lost all my toms this (my first year) because of this. However before I realised what was going on I stupidly composted some smitten tomatoes.  I have tryed to remove them from the compost bin, but there is only so much rummaging in compost you can do!  If some remain does this mean I cant use the compost.  I have pulled up & burned the plants.    ???

[westsussexlottie]

We lost all our allotment tomatoes to this already. Even if you wash green toms in milton they go black in the end.
The potatoes have it too - but they will be fine - we cut them back to the ground and have burned the foliage. We will lift the tubers in 3 weeks.
So disappointing to lose all the toms after so much effort though.

[moonbells]

WSL - I reckon that it's the washing process that causes the tomatoes to go rotten, as blight spore germination is triggered by them being wet.  That's why I'm not washing any of mine until they are ripe and ready to be frozen!
 Not sure Milton's strong enough to have any fungicidal effect. Least not on spores!

moonbells (who just found three more that were rotting... *sigh*)