My tomatoes - RIP

[amandaandherveg]

Had to bite the bullet today and pull out all the toms from my GH after blight had ravaged them. They were left leafless - sad little green sticks and mud brown toms.

Most of them were in the ground but a couple were in pots. Can I re-use the soil/compost it or should it be disposed of? Should I burn the plants and not compost them?

[vicky]

Try to get rid of everything, soil, leaves, old tomatoes etc and don't compost them!
You've been unlucky, GH's often escape the blight.
I grow only resistant varieties in my soil now and all others in pots.

[baggyman]

What are the most resistant varieties?

[Hilary B]

You COULD use the compost again (but not for anything related to tomatoes), but there would continue to be a risk of spores from it getting onto next year's potato, tomato or pepper crop and causing loss all over again. Safer to dispose of it (ideally by fire).

[vicky]

Legend and Ferline are resistant (they get it MUCH later), they are pretty tasty too, but slightly later ripening.

[Flummery]

My allotment toms got it - all disposed of. However, I seem to be ok with the greenhouse toms.

[SarzWix]

Some of mine had to be pulled up & burnt too, but they were the later planted ones plus the 'overspill' which were outside in pots. I've burnt all the top growth, but the used compost I've put on the compost heap. I've read (willing to be told otherwise ) that the spores don't persist in the soil, only plant materials - stems, leaves, fruit & tubers of potatoes, so putting the compost on the heap should be ok. If it's border soil, then I wouldn't risk growing tomatoes/potatoes/peppers/chillis in it next year. Maybe you could remove the top layer of soil, if there's no choice but to grow them there?

[womble]

I've grown Legend and Ferline now for quite a few years (since they first came out I think) and next year I'm giving up on Legend, Ferline just grow and taste much better, IMO.

[HeyWayne]

Sorry to hear that amanda - so disheartening isn't it? I'd burn the lot - Justin Case.

I had my first tomato last night - a yellow one. Not so confident about the rest, greenhouse or otherwise.

Still, there's always next year....

[Cutecumber]

Dispose of or burn foliage and fruit, but don't worry too much about soil and compost.

Good hygiene is the key - the blight spores can only survive on vegetative material, they don't persist in the soil on their own for very long at all.

If you are going to re-use the soil immediately, don't use it for potatoes or tomatoes - but then you wouldn't anyway at this time of year.

[jackie j]

Same thing has happened to mine no tomatoe's for me this year not one even though I planted something like 60 + seeds they mostly failed at the first hurdle.

[Flummery]

I had my first tomato last night - a yellow one.
Still, there's always next year....

Eeeeh! Was it one of yer Ma's Golden Sunrise? They are doing fantastically for me in the greenhouse.

[Winged one]

I think that's what happened my toms on the plot (either blight or a more general rot) and I pulled them up last weekend. I can't burn them (no "backyard burning" allowed over here as the LA's are afraid it will be people burning their rubbish to avoid charges), so I put them up on the very back of the plot, on the nettles, where I have put most of the bindweed and couch grass roots this year in the hopes that they will eventually die off and also take down the nettles they are covering.

I am keeping my one little dalek for things that are definitely compostable to use on the productive space next year (and even if I DO manage to clear the nettle patch, I will NOT be growing spuds or toms there next year - am considering covering with cardboard and trying to make a pumpkin kinda area out of it to clear it out).

[Matt.]

I got blight on my outdoor Tamina tomatoes. Only just started though so I've managed to salvage a whole box full of green ones. I think given the summer we've had its to be expected. Still green tomatoes are better than no tomatoes...

[wiccanlou]

I had blight last year and managed to save wahat toms i did have to make green tomato chutney. this year seems to be ok for now!