Grow Your Own Magazine

Sorry for the stupid question - but what is this?

Sue
xx

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Warning: I have a dangerous tendency to act like I know what I'm talking about.

A disease you dosey idiot

thats not nice Bridget mc - some people dont know, i know i didnt before i read about it on here! Everyone has to start somewhere!!

SS

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Gardening - A labour of love that begins with daybreak and ends with backache!
http://clarkiesveggieblog.blogspot.com/

PS. Dozy is spelt DOZY NOT Dosey!!!!!!!!!

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Gardening - A labour of love that begins with daybreak and ends with backache!
http://clarkiesveggieblog.blogspot.com/

Leaves curl up and go brown. If you catch it early, rip off the stems and pull the spuds, they should be OK. Shouldn't be a problem unless we get a lot of wet weather. All info from D.G. Hessayon's veg expert. I've never had the disease in my crop so I have no first hand knowledge as to what it looks like. I'm still learning after 36 years.

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If it ain't broke, don't fix it and if you ain't going to eat it, don't kill it

I didn't know what it was until last year when I found my tomato leaves going brown and did a google.

We all have to learn and comments like this do not help.

And the point of this comment was?

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Always aim for the best result possible not the best possible result

Peanut aka Joanna

Vegetable Newbie, please don't worry about hurtful posting!
I did not know either when I first started, good on you for asking us, as there are many, many kind and helpful people here on the vine.
good luck in all that you do!
your veg will be great and you will have grown them!!!
Headfry
x

Nasty attitude Bridget, and buy a dictionary.
I had blight last year and lost all my tomatoes. Not nice. I will stand corrected but wasnt blight responsible for the Irish potato famine?

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A bad days fishing is still better than a good day at work!

I believe it was, Brooklyndog. The reason it was so devastating was that they were only growing a couple of varieties and both were highly susceptible. I understand that in South America where the lovely spud originated the farmers can grow up to 30 varieties in their field which means that if a disease strikes one or two they still get a reasonable crop. You've got me onto biodiversity, pet subject!
By the way, the only idiot is the one who doesn't ask the question. Hope you've got some useful answers, Vegetable Newbie.
We missed it last year, must have been amongst they few who did, and I remember another particularly bad year. However, I don't believe in meeting trouble half way. Fingers crossed eh?

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vegheaven.blogspot.com Updated July 7th 2008

not only are the words hurtful ,but are in bad taste,it does take a certain amount of courage to come and ask a question in the first place,especially for anyone just starting gardening from scratch,or indeed any new project,if people knew the answer they would not come and ask in the first place,then perhaps there would be no forum.
PERHAPS AN APOLOGY would clear the air

Sue your question was not stupid! The reply from bridget however, was insensitive, unkind and unnecessary.

The idea of forums like this is for people to get together and share their accumulated knowledge, and for those of us just starting out on the great vegetable journey there will be many questions along the way. I'll bet for every question asked by someone, there are loads of us that have been wondering the same thing. I for one will keep on asking till I get it right, then hopefully I'll be able to return the favour on pass on my knowledge at some point.

Good luck in all you grow!

Quality reply - i didnt know what blight was until I read it on here, thanks Sue for asking............ignore the hurtful comment.

Lets just hope that Bridget's "pumpkin flower" doesnt get picked off and eaten by the nasties - cause what goes around comes around!!!

SS x

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Gardening - A labour of love that begins with daybreak and ends with backache!
http://clarkiesveggieblog.blogspot.com/

Just keep asking any questions and someone will answer like the rest have said dont take any notice of any hurtful comments.
Apology needed.

A very unnecessary comment and not correct.

Blight is a fungal infection of potatoes and tomatoes. There are a couple of strains that attack at different times of the year. The spores arrive with rain so they are mainly prevalent in warm wet conditions. The problem is normally worse in the south and west of the country and is rare in the north.

The first signs are brown spots on the leaves (usually with fungal 'halo on underside of leaf) this will quickly spread to the stems with black patches appearing.... Then to the fruit in tomatoes or with spuds the haulm will die and then the spores will be washed into the soil where they will cause the tubers to begin to rot to a slimey smelly mess. There is no cure but some protection is afforded by copper fungicide (organically approved.) This is normally applied as 'Burgundy or Bordeaux (incl. lime) mixture (the preparations originated in the vineyards for other fungal probs). The problem is perpetuated by diseased material and thus all infected plants should be burnt immediately and never composted.

here is a link
Royal Horticultural Society - Gardening Advice: Potato Blight

There is also a web site that tracks its progress each year.

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Paul

Thanks Paulottie, I had blight fro the first time ever last year, have heard of it but knew nothing about it (veg growing 20yrs, i have been lucky!) Had to ask here on the vine as I had not got a clue what was wrong with my tomatoes!
thanks again
HF

Paulottie, I think the comment about blight being rarer in the north is not the case now. We have blight fairly regularly here in the Manchester area, it's probably due to all the lovely rain we get (!) & the warmer temperatures in general nowadays ( another global warming effect?) Last year was awful because of the very wet summer & I lost most of my tomatoes to it & only managed to save a few which were small plants I'd still got undercover.
I believe growing tomatoes in a greenhouse offers a lot of protection but last year some people even found it on those too. I don't have a greenhouse so have to take my chances & only grow early potatoes in pots outdoors & have managed to harvest them usually before blight strikes.

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Into every life a little rain must fall.