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Tomato disaster

• Message 1. 

  Posted by ivyhouse (U13788805) on Thursday, 22nd September 2011

  Just returned from holiday expecting to be picking a bumper crop of Roma to discover this. All 20 plants affected. My question is what has happened and what can I do to stop it happening next year ?
  
  Many thanks in advance.

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by farmerSteve (U2644680) on Thursday, 22nd September 2011

  
  Thats blight
  can spray but it is not recomended for tomatoes as you will be eating copper
  The only real answer is to grow in a greenhouse I am afraid

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• Message 3

  , in reply to message 2.

  Posted by ivyhouse (U13788805) on Saturday, 24th September 2011

  Many thanks. Does that mean that the ground will be contaminated in future ? A greenhouse is not really an option and I'd be sorry not to be able to grow a main crop in future.

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• Message 4

  , in reply to message 3.

  Posted by martingodliman (U13761957) on Sunday, 25th September 2011

  There does seem to be some debate as to if it stays in the ground certainly it's wise to remover the plants asap and not compost them put in the council recycling or burn them.
  
  I have grown outside successfully after blight in subsequent years but I got blight for the second time in five years this year.
  
  Concentrate on early ripening varitites and not the 'big' later kind so you can at least get some before the blight strikes.
  
  If I could be bothered to sort out a spray I would do it however unattractive an idea spraying was it can't be so bad I bet commercial growers use all kinds of stuff on lots of food we buy.

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• Message 5

  , in reply to message 4.

  Posted by Papa Nopsis (U14479902) on Tuesday, 27th September 2011

  And yet farmersteve it would seem that growing in a greenhouse is almost as much of a tie as keeping hens or pigs. You really can't go away and leave them and if you do, your tomatoes suffer! A constant tie!

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• Message 6

  , in reply to message 3.

  Posted by farmerSteve (U2644680) on Tuesday, 27th September 2011

  No blight does not stay in the ground and it is perfectly safe to compost the plants, when the plant dies the blight dies pure and simple
  Blight is everywhere in our environment it just requires the right conditions (high humidity for eight hours a so called Smith period) to trigger it
  
  The advantage of a greenhouse is that you keep the humidity down by increasing the ventilation. The disadvantage is that you need to water at least once a day
  Strangely I found blight in my greenhouse this year where the leaves were touching the glass and staying damp I had no blight in my outside tomatoes or potatoes this year which I was amazed at and is the first for many years. I still have new potatoes growing outside.
  anything to discourage high humidity picking an exposed site etc is the only thing that will help in outdoor crops

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