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I have noticed a few of my larger tomatoes turning brown and blotchy instead of ripening properly. The smaller cherry-sized tomatoes are ripening nicely, but the bigger ones seem to be rotting on the vine! Is this a sign of blight???

Some of the lower leaves of my tomato plants are also turning blotchy yellow and sometimes black. Do I have to pull off the leaves or leave them as they are?

We're due for another week of rainy weather, oh nooooo... just when the tomatoes are *starting* to show signs of ripening!

vw

Sounds like the dreaded B word! You might need to get rid of all the toms affected. Any fruits that are ok you can ripen indoors. Cherry toms don't seem as susceptible so you might get away with these.

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Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 17th - The Big Dig

Oo, sounds like blight to me too, but just to be sure, could you post some pictures before you remove all the infected parts ?

Momol

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I grow, I pick, I eat ...

My digital camera has just given up the ghost, I'm afraid.

I think it might be the dreaded B too. I was afraid of that. It has been REALLY damp - not sure if that makes it worse? Anyway I've removed the offending tomatoes. Not all of them are affected. I've got some green ones sitting on the windowsill but they are taking AGES to ripen. I've put a shop-bought red tomato next to them and still, nothing. How long does it take for green tomatoes to ripen off the vine? Do they ripen at all... or...?

vw

They do ripe, it will be faster if it is warm and sunny. As for how long, it is really depending the growth stage of your tom fruit ( have a look at the growing technique that show step by step toms development to ripe ). Be patient, it will get there and when it does the other tom will get ripen very soon following the first one.

Enjoy,
Momol

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I grow, I pick, I eat ...

The same happened to me last year.

I would suggest that you pick any tomatoes of any sizs and put them in a covered box with a ripe banana. The banana gves off ethylene gas which speeds up the ripening process. Keep an eye on them and remove any that look as if they are blighted.

What is left you could turn into green tomato chutney.

Best of luck

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Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet

Hi Veggiewomble, like the others I'd say it's blight & the wet weather has made it a lot worst everywhere this year. Your green toms should ripen but might take a while, you could try putting them in a brown paper bag with a ripe banana or ripe tom. & that might speed it up a bit. Don't put in any toms which have any small specks on them though as that is probably the beginning of blight & may spread to the others.

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Into every life a little rain must fall.

Same thing happen to my tomatoes this year veggiewomble.

And me sadly but have been saved by gartenpearle and latah, both tiny tomatoes and these varieties seem to come through, both have had blighty tomatoes but still produced good ones. The Latah started early and I picked off all the blighty ones and now its set loads of new ones, so finger's crossed.
Latah, from the Real Seed Company is listed as one of the Siberian ones, perhaps they cope with the bad weather better?
Sue

It's happened to a greater degree to my Moneymaker tomatoes - the Sungolds are mostly cherry sized and a lot of them have escaped. The Sungolds that have ripened taste wonderful... but I'm afraid I've lost about 60%-70% of them to the dreaded blight! How long do green tomatoes take to ripen once plucked off the vine? I've had some for over 3 weeks with only a hint of yellowing?

vw

Can I clarify please

1. Its ok to eat non affected tomatoes from a blight plant.
2. Is it blight when the ripe tomatoes suddenly split in a big circle near the stem?

Thanks

blight is not poisonous to humans so eat the ripe fruits if they appear OK.

splitting has other causes, so no, not necessarily. The weight of some tomatoes, together with naturally thin skins and a boost of extra water can do this.

Look for brown patches on leaves and stems, which spread quite rapidly. Fruits show "bruising" which spreads and creates a rotten mess if left.

thanks cutecumber

I know pigletwillie has a pic of blight-ridden toms on his blog. Might be useful to help you identify.

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Vegmonkey and the Mrs. - vegetable gardening in a small space in Cheltenham at www.vegmonkey.co.uk

hooray i've blight as well!
was feeling really left out ...... sad ...... lonely ....... the odd one out ......

luckily it's only the two cherry toms outside the back of the house
2 cherry toms and 4 big toms in the greenhouse are fine