Tomato blight ...

[fwuffydragon]

Argh! My tomatoes have started to get blight!

I have pulled them all off, and will be chopping and freezing them so I can make green tomato chutney later (no time right now!).

The plants will be bagged up and taken to the tip.

What should I do with the soil? Can I add it to my garden (they were in buckets) as long as it's not in the potato bed, or should I junk that too?

Advice please!

Comments

[lady_myfanwy]

Is it possible they have blossom end rot? This occurs when they are not getting enough calcium. Just add some garden lyme (or maybe lime, not sure on the spelling lol). It is almost impossible to get enough calcium for your tomatoes if you grow them in containers and don't add the lyme.

[fwuffydragon]

Hi! Thanks for the suggestion. No it's definitely not blossom end rot, and they have been fed regularly.

It looks identical to this: http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/problem-solving/tomato-blight/

[meadowflower]

Hi there,

I got blight on my tomatoes last year - I grew them in the ground. I don't even think we got one ripe tomato last year. It was a really very wet season.

Try not to let the tomatoes sit in water - make sure drainage is good and don't water too much. Let that soil get dry and let them get plenty of sun.

We don't have blight this year on our tomatoes - I heard they need 1 inch of water a week. We never watered them this summer, except for when they were just growing and through a couple of really dry spells. We've had TONS of great tomatoes.

Not the same with our powdery mildew though (I posted re: that) I hope you have better luck next year!

Here's a post I found about blight. Since your stuff are in pots, I'd just throw out the soil and also clean the pot really well (bleach).

"1. give your soil a dosage of lime as your soil could lack nutrients in which the fungus prefers. 2. grow your tomatoes in a different position as blight will still remain in the soil, this will hopefully give your toms a better chance. 3. take with you a tub of soapy water and remove the blighted leaves, washing your hands in between every one you have plucked! A slow and laborious process but one which might give you better rewards in the end, fingers crossed."
- source: http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/forums/wildlife-gardening/46882-blight-soil.html

[feroxargentea]

Blight tends to blow in from other tomato/potato crops in the area so it's probably more important to protect next year's crops from air/rain-splash than from contaminated soil. Greenhouse crops are usually okay, and if you can rig a bit of clear plastic over outdoor plants to keep the rain off the foliage, they're more likely to stay uninfected.