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Garden Gate:  tomato plants dying from blight what to do?  |
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 06 2008 : 04:41:06 AM
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I planted about 50 tomato plants of different kinds this year. We have had a good amount of rain this year so I have not had to water. My tomato plants started getting brown spots on the lower leaves and yellowing. Now its moving up the plants and I have completely lost 8 plants now and the rest are half gone now. The leaves are totally brown on the bottom.
I have tried a copper soap shield several times. Limed the soil again and applied calcium and they are still dying. The tomatoes are actually rotting at the stem which I have never seen.
I know they are probably doomed but thought there might be something else I could try on the ones that are still half there.
Have any of you ladies ever experienced this??? Last year we had a drought and I had to water to keep the garden alive but I had a great harvest of tomatoes to make spagetti sauce with. I bought extra jars this year and I guess I am not going to be able to use them.
I am so bummed out. I have gotten enough tomatoes to eat but thats about it. I am just beside myself. Our garden has always helped us with the food bill and I like knowing where my sauce is coming from. I have many things to be grateful for. Maybe someone around will have bulk to sell and I can still make some sauce. 
Don't meant to sound like a whiner but I feel like one.........lol.
Well if anyone knows of something I could try please let me know.... or even what I am dealing with. Thanks.
Thanks
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
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DairySue
True Blue Farmgirl
67 Posts
Sue
Connecticut
67 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2008 : 04:57:53 AM
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Linda, The same thing has happened to most of my tomoato plants. Plus, the ones that are there have taken forever to ripen. This year was the first time I've experienced it. I have not tried anything to stop it. Like you, We have enough to eat for the summer, but I was hoping to freeze a bunch of sauce and soups. I figured it was from too much water. I also have more heirloom varieties than ever before, perhaps that is part of the problem. I hope someone has words of advice.
Sue in CT
http://frumsglassmenagerie.blogspot.com/ |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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Aunt T
True Blue Farmgirl
73 Posts
Tricia
Robinson
Illinois
USA
73 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2008 : 8:12:46 PM
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Try fish emulsion! It has done wonders to my tomato plants and you can apply it to the base of the plant during the growth of the fruit. Alee also sent me to the wonderful site above and it is quite useful!
Wish It, Dream It, Do It! |
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DaisyFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
1646 Posts
Diane
Victoria
BC
Canada
1646 Posts |
Posted - Aug 06 2008 : 10:25:47 PM
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Linda - I think your answer is in your rainy weather. Blight is a common problem here on the wet west coast...I cannot grow tomatoes outside at all, only in a greenhouse. Even then I have to be really careful to remove any bottom leaves that are even remotely suspect for blight and be really careful to not get leaves wet when I water. Unfortunately copper is only a preventative measure, it will not stop blight once it has started.
My suggestion would be to pull all of your affected plants asap so that they do not infect the others. Don't compost them either! Put them in the trash or better yet, burn them if you can. Be really diligent in your clean up of fallen leaves and debris.
Next year, try to plant them as far away from where you planted them this year as possible and make sure you disinfect your tomato cages if you use them. One thing I've observed is that "potato leaf" varieties are far more likely to get blight than regular tomatoes. I'm not aware of any resistant varieties, although of all the ones I have trialed, Black Krim heirloom and Big Beef hybrid are the least likely to get blight.
Hope this helps!
Di on VI
Farmgirl Sister #73 |
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Aug 07 2008 : 04:46:11 AM
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I did go to the website Alee suggested. It does have tons of good info. Thanks Alee for the site. I did learn about quite a few things.
Diane I think you are right. We just had 1 inch of rain the day before and then that same night another inch of rain. My garden smells like rotting tomatoes this morning. I have never smelled that in my garden before. I will pull all the plants up once they are about gone. There are no good ones left. They all have it. I will make sure I burn or bag all the dead plants.
I really don't have another place to garden do to the steep hills and rocks. We live in a very hilly and clay/rock soil area. It has taken me 16 years to get the soil half way descent where I have my garden now. Plus its one of the few places that is flat.
Down by the road there is a flat place that we planted for the first time this year. Four seperate times when it rained alot the seeds and soil were washed into the road and into the creek. Its eroided terribly.....and what did grow the deer ate it. The only thing that did not wash away was the potatoes. We will get some of those. But I will have to figure a way to maybe burn the top of the soil off and maybe lime it well. I have been putting goat manure there for years.
Thanks so much for you help. I will also try the copper before the blight. Maybe I will get lucky. Its been a wet spring and summer for sure. There's alway next year.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
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Bellepepper
True Blue Farmgirl
1207 Posts
Belle
Coffeyville
KS
USA
1207 Posts |
Posted - Aug 07 2008 : 08:14:25 AM
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| I had the same trouble with the blight. No matter what I did, I couldn't control it. Last year we moved the tomatoes to the front yard. We built raised beds with cement blocks and filled with soilless growing mix. The plants are beautiful. No ripe tomatoes, but beautiful plants. Very expensive tomatoes. I have not had good luck with hirloom tomatoes. The hybrids with some disese resistance do better for me. The deer never bothered the garden in the back. But in the front they think it belongs to them. They ate all my lettuce and swiss chard. Found out they don't like basil. |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Aug 07 2008 : 09:12:14 AM
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I think this year has been odd for everyone's growing season. Perhaps we are going to need to change our growing seasons a little to accommodate the earth's changes? This winter I am going to start tomatoes indoors around February. If I need to I will buy a bunch of medium sized pots and let them start getting really big indoors before transferring them to the green house in late April or early May. I figure by doing that I will have a good start to my garden and hopefully a jump on the growing season. I am going to make sure to put down organic fungicides and such to protect my heirloom tomatoes right from the start.
I wonder if lasagna gardening would help burn off some of the blight?
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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Garden Gate: tomato plants dying from blight what to do? |
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tomato plants dying from blight what to do?
