Blight

[Spunky]

Bugger just read about this .......started growing last year and had a half decent crop of tomatoes and it was pretty foul in the summer
Is blight as likely to affect garden plots as well as allotments etc? Put a bit of a downer on things I like me tomato soup

[FionaH]

Blight is airborne and will affect gardens as easily as allotments. Most likely to occur in times of high humidity, (I think) Someone who knows more will be along soon

[bearded bloke]

Yep,it deffo can,had it in my garden last year (nearest allotment is 6 miles away as the crow flies)

[Spunky]

Same here mate brilliant lol .....

[Incy]

If you got away with it last summer you may be ok and in a low blight area. Here in Manchester the only way to get a crop is to go for early sowings in the hope that the crop arrives before the blight does

[donnakebab]

Some folk on my lottie site only grow earlies and second earlies not bothering with a main crop. That way they harvest before blight arrives which it invariably does every year.

[Two_Sheds]

Shhhhhhhh Donna, Spunky hadn't yet realised that blight affects potatoes as well as toms. He won't be pleased

[Aberdeenplotter]

If blight is a problem for you, grow blight resistant varieties. Have a looksee on this American website.http://www.tomatodirt.com/blight-res...varieties.html Most of these varieties won't be available here but Ferline certainly is, Also a link to Sutton's site where they have a couple of
blight resistant varieties http://seeds.suttons.co.uk/gardening...Tomato%20Seeds

[taff]

or you can construct a frame type thing a la Zazen and keep the spores off that way. Or, horror of horrors, you can spray with fungicide or similar to kill the spores before they do damage [it's definitely non-organic though]
http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ess_60544.html

and join blighwatch, they'll e-mail you with blight alerts
Blightwatch.co.uk - the essential service for professional potato growers

[donnakebab]

Shhhhhhhh Donna, Spunky hadn't yet realised that blight affects potatoes as well as toms. He won't be pleased

Ha Ha! TS that's too cruel.

[donnakebab]

I had blight on my toms in my garden a few years ago and I haven't bothered growing them since because I read somewhere that you should leave it for three years as it stays in the soil. Well I now know that it's not a soil problem and the only reason I haven't tried growing toms on my lottie is that it's supposed be too exposed for them. However, I think I'm going to have a go this year both in my garden and on my lottie.

What the hell...live dangerously!

[Two_Sheds]

The blight spores come in on the wind, but also can be "in the soil" as in they survive on living plant tissue (eg. spuds left in the ground over winter).
The spores can't survive without a live host, which is why you CAN compost blighted foliage (bury it in the middle of the heap, cover it up).

[Spunky]

Thanks all fingers crossed well all be alright I thought of that Taff but it would look a bit crude where I've got to plant them, all in pots btw, funny how you learn of all the money I've wasted I could have bought a green house by now lol is there any sprays you recommend and do you have to use them at certain times?

[daylily]

If blight is a problem for you, grow blight resistant varieties. Have a looksee on this American website.Most Blight Resistant Tomato Varieties Most of these varieties won't be available here but Ferline certainly is, Also a link to Sutton's site where they have a couple of
blight resistant varieties Blight Resistant Tomato Seeds on Suttons

Ferline also gets the blight, I'm afraid. So, have a looksee elsewhere.

[donnakebab]

The spores can't survive without a live host, which is why you CAN compost blighted foliage (bury it in the middle of the heap, cover it up).

You know I wondered about that. All the old guys on the plot run around saying you've got to burn everything. Bless em