Kitchen Garden Forum

Potatoes don't like lime, it gives them scab, and Tomatoes are a member of the Potato family. So does the same condition apply to Tomatoes. If it does then I take it that there is no lime in a Tomato grow bag.
Therefore could a Tomato grow bag be classed as Ericaceous compost and used as a cheap alternative for my Ericaceous loving plants.?
Cheapskate Arthur e

NO
Scab is a soil borne infection affecting the tuber unless you have a type of tomato that grows underground they are not going to be infected no matter what type of medium you grow them in.

Hi Arthur,
It is true that Potatoes do prefer the growing medium to be on the acidic side but not as acid as Ericaceous Compost. Potatoes prefer to be slightly under PH7 but grow very well here in my soil which is very slightly above PH7 and certainly the Potato Estima does suffer quite badly with scab if grown here But Nadine, which is a second early, is grown here as a main crop and there is no sign of scab on any of them.
Tomatoes again are said to prefer to be slightly on the acidic side but again have never had any difficulties growing them here. Although both plants are prone to the same diseases scab is not exactly a disease.
JB.

Thanks JB, So does that infer that tomato grow bags are on the acidic side and would be ok for mulching my blueberries.
Arthur e
ps JB I PM'd you last year and never heard back, reference Beverly's ? did you get it.