Wild tomatoes and blight

[MarkPelican]

I have an allotment and late blight is a real problem here. I prefer the taste of outdoor tomatoes so was pleased to be involved in a trial a few years ago for a blight free tomato from Dobies.

It was the only tomatoes I harvested that year. Decent size and wonderful flavour.
If blight strikes, these tomatoes just weather it and recover.

Interesting how its different for different people. I grew Crimson Crush (for two years). They got blight and didn't taste nice so I haven't tried again.

When I tried Mountain Magic, they didn't get blight but didn't ripen.

[MarkPelican]

Its Pimpinellifolium but that's too long to type every time - so I call it Pimp.

I followed this to Wikipedia and ended up here https://www.nature.com/articles/nature11119#group-1. I wish I understood what they're talking about. I've always been intrigued to find out how genetically different all the various sorts of tomatoes are.

[veggiechicken]

Thanks Mark - fascinating.


(Actually, I don't even understand the title).

[Dorothyrouse]

Outdoor toms

I only grow tomatoes outside, and they amazingly, I still have pounds in freezer.

I grow them in pots,up on my top balcony, ( 4 floors up), also do some in hanging baskets.

Trying to remember which varieties I grew last year, �Tumbling Toms, Chocolate Cherry, Maskotka and Tigerella, all I�d extremely well.

They are sheltered on 3 sides, but otherwise exposed to the elements! But I suppose because they are so high up, no �blight bugs� can reach them.

Bit of afar carrying all the pots up there mind you!

[Thelma Sanders]

Blight spores are carried in damp air, Your balcony may not catch the prevailing wind that brings it.

None of my outdoor tomatoes got blight last year because it was so very dry, not good conditions for blight, but good for tomatoes as long as they could be watered enough

[SarrissUK]

Even for the fantastic summer we had last year, the tomatoes that spilled out of the greenhouse because of a lack of room, the outdoor ones did terrible. Greenhouse growing for me all the way.

[Dorothyrouse]

True, we are right next to the River Medway though. So the balcony is outside my bedroom, so I can have a tasty tomato for breakfast! And of course easy to check on them, and water daily etc

[veggiechicken]

The experimental outdoor tomatoes have blight - some of them anyway. I'll have a closer look later.
It looks like all the ones planted in an open, sunny patch have been hit but the random variety armpits I planted as an edible edge to a more shady bed are OK (yesterday).
There are some self seeded plants dotted around the garden and they look OK too.

[Snoop Puss]

Sympathy like, VC.

[veggiechicken]

Thanks Snoop but its what I expected really.
Its one less experiment to do next year.

[SarrissUK]

Bloody blight eh?

I planted all of my leftover tomatoes outside, and they're very healthy looking and have needed no watering at all this year. No sign of blight either *touch wood* .... yet.