Kitchen Garden Forum

Just a though,what with the wet humid weather how many of us have suffered with the blight,I'm picking of tomotoes like hell before the plants mush up!
Potatoes seem to have faired better,and the crop is ok.
Inspite of the copper sprays I got it just like I thought I would,so I'm i nterested to know how others have done,anyone out there been really unlucky?
All the best-Bold.

Hi Boldverg

I've lost spuds. Dug up Red Duke of York and Charlotte as soon as the blight hit us. Luckily I only had earlies, so the tubers had formed. Red Duke of York rotted within days but the Charlottes are still holding.

Outdoor toms have totally gone - even though were supposed to be blight resistant. Indoor ones OK, but fellow allotment holders have reported some blight even inside the greenhouse.

Sue

I spotted the first signs of blight on several of my outdoor tomatoes yesterday. I sprayed with Dithane immediately but spotted another manky tomato this morning so don't know whether the blight is already spreading or whether it was one tomato I missed. The Dithane packet says "Don't eat any sprayed fruit for 14 days" so if any ripen I guess we have to leave them on the plants for that duration. And we go on holiday in a week's time, so if the plants survive that long, can I spray again before the 14 day suggested spraying interval?

I've lost every one of my outdoor tomatoes, although the greenhouse ones seem OK. All the potatoes are now up having been blighted.

There's not a single tomato plant left on our site, nor an unblighted potato.

My Red Duke of York all went even though I dug them up early. I dug all the others up as well but on the whole they're fine. (International Kidney, Wilja, Estima, Kestrel, Nicola, Romano, Cara, Ratte, Pink Fir) I check them each week and throw away the one or two that have gone, and wash any that have touched them, under running water. So far that's worked.

Outdoor tomatoes have gone except for Ferline which are still manfully resisting, as advertised.

Indoor tomatoes are going, but with ruthless defoliating, I'm getting them to ripen with only the occasional tomato getting brown patches.

I've been freezing all my green ones as soon as they show signs of blight, cut the bad bit off until I get clear green flesh and freeze the rest, as I have a very nice recipe for chicken with green tomatoes and coconut milk etc. Recipe available if anyone's interested.
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Granny

Dear Granny, may i just praise you on your resoursefulness.

Yes, OH, you may - that's when you've managed to get your tongue from out of your cheek!
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Granny

Dear Granny,
Yes, please do post your green tomato recipe in the recipe section if you haven't already. I've got an unfortunate feeling I'm going to be needing it before too long.

I don't grow potatoes because I haven't got the room, but my Ferline tomatoes are fine and just beginning to ripen. A little small for the time of year but I did sow late.

Well my actual spuds seem fine after I pull them,so I'm lucky there,mixed blessings with the tomatoes though.
The Gardeners delight on the plot is blighted and I'm just getting the few I can of them before they turn to mush,the ones I planted under my kitchen widow in a border at home are fine though,much ,much bigger stronger plants that so far have shown no sighns of blight,theres five of them there,so with any luck I should still get some!!!!!! .
A few people on our plots are saying they are having the worst year yet in like 30 odd years,but I (this is my first year there by the way),seem to have gotten away with it by and large,I can't complain really.
What kind of a year of you guys had on the whole?,anyone else had the worst season in years?
All the best-paul(aka) Boldverg

I have started threads on blight “resistance” (?) in potatoes and tomatoes on the “Technical Data” Forum.

viewtopic.php?t=4292 - potatoes

viewtopic.php?t=4293 - tomatoes

Please let’s hear of your (good) experiences there, in the hope that we all learn something for next year.

Alan

There are now EIGHT threads running in different sections on the subject of blight, nine if you include the one Peter put up yonks ago about cooking blighted potatoes. I'm not criticising the number of threads, just stunned at how much blight there is out there this year.

Alan,
Arran pilot - no problems.
Desiree - haulms went down in one week. Stipped tops to ground level/left spuds for three weeks/lifted lost 10%. Checked stored spuds, lost another 10%.
Won't grow maincrop next year OR the Sarpo rubbish!

ive now had 4 tomatoes , on about 30 plants in the tunnel, that have gone. all the foliage that shows any sign of marks has been cut off. the patches of blight on the leaves seemed to have been very well defined and slow to spread, perhaps a dry atmosphere slows down its developement? water has been restricted for the last month or so to prevent splitting. infrequent watering is now a dribble at soil level rather than the spray irrigation used earlier in the season. there still are vigerous new sideshoots growing, so im aiming at keeping the tunnel dry to (hopefully) control the blight with just enough water at soil level to keep some new growth growing to extend the cropping season. will we still have fresh tomatoes at christmas? looks very doubtful at the moment.

As the heading would suggest,my spuds survived the ordeal so I'm happy about that!
My toms on the plot were not quite so lucky though the process has been slow and I still harvest some,though that time would appear to be coming to an end now!
Me and the wise elder from the plots have just put some winter onions in and planted out some very late runner beans,see how many we can get before frost stops play,the whole thing is an experimental gamble and it will be interesting to see what happens!
Al l the best-Bold