Hello, My tomato plants have blight (diagnosed on this site!). I have read a bit about blight on the internet, and it sounds scary. I would greatly appreciate some help understanding all this. In particluar: 1)I have removed all the affected leaves and tomatoes, but some discolored stems have bunches of green tomatoes on them that still look fine. Should I hold out hope that I will be able to harvest some tomatoes or should I get rid of all of the plants immediately? (Unfortunately, we're still getting a lot of rain.) 2) I have managed to harvest one red tomato with just a little brown spot on it. Is it safe to eat the tomato (minus the spot)? 3) My garden borders a small forest. I threw the infected tomato plant bits into the forest, about 10 yards from the garden. Was this a mistake? 4) Can I plant beans and/or lettuce in the infected area next year without problems? Thank you in advance for your input!! Saleve
Hi again-- 1)I would personally try to keep that somewhat damaged stem, (tho it may help to spread more disease!)...the tomatoes are the reason we grew the plants in the first place after all. If you have any copper type fungicide, spraying this area well may help to stop any spores originating from this bad area. 2) the diseased fruit is okay to eat, just won't be as tasty, may even be rotten tasting if the disease has spread thru it very much. You'll see if you cut across the fruit, discoloured interior is not going to be very palatable. 3) my feeling is that forests with their biodiversity can mitigate most things we consider pathogens...in other words the debris shouldn't bother things there. 4)the only plants to avoid would be in the potato/tomato family. Even then, pepperes and eggplants don't seem to be bothered, so possibly just the two types of veggies are the targets for blight.
If the blight you are experiencing is similar to what we get here in the Pacific Northwest then next year (If you grow tomatoes again) consider building a little shelter to keep the rain off of the plants. The blight seems to be airborne and the rain deposits (and glues i think) the spores or whatever onto the plants. Make sure when watering with the hose that not much water lands on the foilage and this should also help. Copper spray will help a bit but I have been cautioned about the build-up of copper in the soil when using it. Anne
Thanks! I heard recently that it is also helpful to put an opened part of a nettle stem near the roots of each tomato plant at planting time. Have you heard anything about this? Saleve
