What's the news on tomato blight?

[John Yeoman]

How many people have had tomato blight this year? I know blight has been a frequent topic here but I hear conflicting reports that 2010 has been a bad/good year for outdoor tomatoes in the UK. In several forums, US gardeners have just started to worry about tomato blight. (When I mentioned ‘blight’ in a US forum in 2000, folk thought I referred to botrytis.) Blight as we know it - Phytophthora infestans - seems to be relatively new in America, at least, in some parts.

Here’s a tip that works for me. If your greenhouse is full (the best environment for tomatoes), put a clear plastic awning over the outdoor plants. And water them carefully at the base, keeping the foliage dry. It seems that blight can get a grip only on damp haulm.

A friend in Switzerland lays bare copper wire under her tomato plants. She swears that the plant takes up the copper and becomes blight resistant!

Certainly, I grew a fine tomato crop one year, untouched by blight, when my neighbours’ plants were rotting. Simply under an awning and without copper wire.

Has anyone tried the awning method?

[Nature's Babe]

Hi John, most likely no answer on this as there are a few threads on blight already. My greenhouse ones were fine but due to the damp weather the outside ones succombed eventually, though I did get a reasonable crop first. Might try an awning next year but we are on a hill and I have a feeling any high winds might wreak havock.

[Primrose]

I don't have a greenhouse and have in the past wondered whether a plastic awning over my outdoor plants would have protected them from blight.

I grow them up against a fence so I suppose I could rig up an awning threading bamboo canes through the top of a plastic sheet and hook this onto some large cup hooks drilled into the fence posts. How exactly do you erect your awning?

This year I resorted to spraying. Either that did the trick or the fact that nobody else around here seems to grow their own tomatoes which reduced the amount of airborne spores in the neighbourhood protected me - I'll never know which. Possibly a combination of the two but if next year looks like being a blight year I may put an awning up over a proportion of them and see what happens, although I guess for protection they should all be covered because of the risk of contagion from nearby tomato plants?

[PLUMPUDDING]

Hi John, No blight here either inside or outside. I don't spray them or anything. I must just be very lucky.

[Elle's Garden]

Hi John,

I lost almost my entire crop of what was promising to be a brilliant yeild about 2 weeks ago. I managed to make a quick batch of the Gridled green tomato chutney from the recipie pages (Alan's?) but otherwise it was wipe out. Fortunately my plants were spread out and i managed to salvage those next to the house and bring them in to ripen.

I would be interested in trying an awning, I suppose those pop up green house things would do the job.

[alan refail]

Hi Elle

I was pleased to hear you have tried making my chutney. I consider it my birthday present to you

Don't touch it till December, then it should be a Christmas treat.

Recipe here, if anyone else wants to try it:

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=7454

[Elle's Garden]

I shall be looking forward to it Alan. - Thank you!