Blight & other diseases in polytunnel

[columbine]

This is only my second year with a polytunnel (10mx20m). Last year I grew toms without too many problems but this year, probably because of the abyssmal weather here in mid-Wales (wet, wet, wet) all 5 varieties of toms, as well as the aubergines, developed blight and probably other diseases as well. Can anyone recommend any varieties which are suitable for polytunnel cultivation which are really blight resistant?
Locals say that you have to live with blight here because of the climate, but I would hope that some varieties do better than others.

I would like to sow broad beans in November in the bed where the toms were. Would this be safe, or is that soil contaminated? If so, what could I do about it? I cannot afford to take it out and replace it, so would like another alternative.

Many thanks for any advice.

[Johnboy]

Hi Columbine,
Blight will only affect plants of the Solanaceae Family and because Broad Beans do not belong to this family there should be no problems.
JB.

[columbine]

Thanks, Johnboy. I should have known that, of course. Memo: do more homework!
Columbine

[Nature's Babe]

Hi Columbine,
Beans should be fine, remember to leave the roots in the soil when the crop is finnished as they add nitrogen to the soil. I would leave it a while before planting more tomatoes there because the spores will be on the soil and the first splashes of water on any new plants will infect them.
Some plants eg ferline and legend have some resistence to blight.
Keep the air in greenhouses as dry as you can in humid weather, by ventilating well and avoiding wetting paths, soil and foliage when you water. Ventilation in the morning, when outdoor air is cool and dry, is especially helpful, as long as you don't suddenly chill the plants. Prevent overheating through adequate ventilation and shading. Keep a close eye on plants and remove any affected leaves immediately to stop it spreading wash hands to avoid spreading spores. Avoid any damage to stems when planting and tying as this will make plants more vulnerable. Hope this is helpful.

[columbine]

Nature's Babe - Thank you very much for these useful tips. I realised over the summer that ventilating the polytunnel was not that easy, even with a door each end. I shall have to give it more thought next year.

I will have a look at Ferline and Legend and see if I have better luck with these varieties.

I appreciate your advice.

[Nature's Babe]

'Hi Columbine, I was looking on line for ethical / green banks and found a really intereesting one, they even publish where their money goes.
http://www.triodos.co.uk/en/business/wh ... usinesses/
One was River Cottage, another they invested in was http://www.biodynamic.org.uk/
and reading their gardening section I found this article on spraying the ground and plants against mildew and blight, I haven't tried it so have no idea how effective it is, but thought it might interest you.
http://www.biodynamic.org.uk/fileadmin/ ... t_2009.pdf
I don't have any horsetail in my garden, but i will be on the look out for it on my walks now just to try it out, we have a woodland strip backing on to our garden and one oak had mildew all over the new tip growth, my courgettes were pretty healthy for ages, but towards the end of cropping they succumbed to the mildew drifting down from the tree. You will need to scroll right down on that last link to get preparation guidelines.

[alan refail]

Hi Columbine

Methinks Nature's Babe would have you enter the mysterious world of Rudolph Steiner.

The following is an extract from Lecture 6 of his agriculture course of 1924:

Thus we see the forming of mildew, blight, rust, and similar diseases. The over-intense Moon-influence prevents what should work upward from the earth from reaching the necessary level. The true force of fertility depends upon the Moon's influence being normal. It must not be too intense. It may seem strange, but it is so: this result is brought about, not by a weakening but by an over intensity of the Moon-forces. If we merely theorised about it instead of looking at the process, we might reach the opposite conclusion, but we should be wrong. Perception shows it as I have now described it. What, then, should we do?
We must somehow relieve the earth of the excessive Moon-force that is in it. And we can do so. We need only perceive what works in the earth so as to deprive the water of its mediating power; so as to lend the earth more “earthiness” and prevent it from absorbing the excessive Moon-influences through the water it contains. We can achieve this result. Outwardly, it all remains just as it is. But we now prepare a kind of tee or decoction — a pretty concentrated decoction of equisetum arvense.[2] This we dilute, and sprinkle it as liquid manure over the fields, wherever we need it — wherever we want to combat rust or similar plant-diseases. Here again, very Small quantities are sufficient — a homoeopathic dose is quite enough.
Once more you see how the several fields of life work into one another. Understand the strange influence which equisetum arvense has upon the human organism through the function of the kidneys, and you will have your guiding live. Needless to say, you cannot merely speculate. Nevertheless, you have a guiding line, and you will now investigate how equisetum works when you transform it as described, into a kind of liquid manure, and sprinkle it over the fields. You need no special apparatus. It will work far and wide, even if you only sprinkle a very little, and you will find it an excellent remedy. Strictly speaking, it is not a medicament, for in the true sense of the word a plant cannot be diseased. It is not a healing process in the proper sense; it is simply the opposite process to the one I described.

I leave you to make up your own mind.

Regards

Alan

[Johnboy]

Hi Alan,
I thought what a devious posting from NB! It was headed to exactly where you have ended up! Just another unproven theory dressed up as fact by certain people! In fact it is worse than that its an absolute load of twaddle!
JB.

[Nature's Babe]

i don't dismiss anything as twaddle until I have tried it myself Alan and Johnboy, and as i said in my post, I am making no claims for it but was interested and intend to try it. I have had personal experience of homeopathy working for myself, in facI as a child I had very severe allergies, when conventional doctors failed, and I almost died it was homeopathy that finally salvaged my health. If it works for humans then I am quite open to the possibility that it may work for plants too.
I am not going to stop exploring possibilities just because you two delight in jumping up and down on anything I post. This is a form of bullying.
I am more than prepared to live and let live regarding your ideas, kindly allow me the same courtesy please. There was nothing devious in my intention, just an open mind and natural curiosity, so please stop making insinuation about my character.

.

[alan refail]

Hi NB

I have an investigative mind, which is why I considered it best to refer Columbine to the source of the suggestion you made, i.e. Rudolph Steiner's own words, rather than expressing my own opinions on the matter.

Regards

Alan

[Nature's Babe]

Yes thank you Alan, and for the link, I am confident Columbine is quite capable of making up her own mind, as we all are.

[alan refail]

I am confident Columbine is quite capable of making up her own mind, as we all are.

The more information, the easier that is

[Johnboy]

Poor Columbine! All she asked was a simply question and she deserves a simple answer wherever possible.
She didn't ask a question about Ethical Banking nor a question about the use of a preparation made from Mares Tail which the person posting has herself not even used. If you haven't used it how can you recommend it!
I do not consider these as a suitable answers to Columbines simple requests and if to speak out against it is bullying, which I consider to be a very old feminine trick, so be it!
JB.

[Nature's Babe]

May I suggest Columbine is probably not poor and most likely intelligent,
educated, and quite able to think and speak for herself Johnboy.

[Primrose]

For some reason - and I can't figure out why, I've found that tumbling varieties of tomato - Red Tumbler and Yellow Tumbler seem more blight resistant in my garden, They also seem to fruit a little earlier which means there is a reasonable chance of getting a crop if blight strikes.