Talkback: Growing tomatoes and tomato blight - Talkback

12/08/2009 at 20:42

Yes, it's certainly been a great year for tomatoes.....and the tomato/potato blight has finally arived , this week, in my Hampshire garden! Luckily not in the greenhouse yet, so toms are OK!

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13/08/2009 at 18:17

I have grown Alicante Tomatoes this year in the greenhouse and have come up beautifully. I also have some in the garden but the fruits have not yet ripen. Luckily I have not tomato blight.

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13/08/2009 at 18:50

I don't have a green house :( but haven't sufferd from tomato blight this year. I did have trouble last year so have been really careful this year!

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13/08/2009 at 18:54

Could someone please advise me on how to eradicate hundreds of toadstools on my mothers lawn. They started within a fairy ring with the grass turning greener in the ring but now the toadstools have spread everywhere on her large lawn and we need to get rid of them. We pull them all up daily but we are fighting a losing battle. We have been told the only way to get rid of them completely would be to dig up the whole lawn but that would be a mammoth job and so expensive. Can anyone help with ideas please? Many thanks

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13/08/2009 at 19:24

This year I have grown some tomato plants in the ground in the greenhouse, some in big pots sunk into growbags and some in garden soil. The ones in the garden soil seem to be ripening first. So far they seem to have escaped any diseases. The greenhouse ones, though, do not show any sign of ripening at all. The varieties I have grown are Sungold, Tigerella, Red Pear, Gardener's Delight and a beefsteak variety. I had painted the greenhouse with some shading paint in the 'hot' Spring, and wonder if I should clean it off in order to get the tomatoes to ripen, in there.

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13/08/2009 at 20:55

i have 3 grafted tomatoes loaded with lovely toms to top of green house now the leaves have gone dry and crispy why can you tell me please

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13/08/2009 at 21:03

had trouble with tomato blight lost a golden sunrise plant but gardener's delight plant doing ok i think it's a matter of luck sometimes

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13/08/2009 at 21:29

Tomato blight hit the tomatoes in one of my greenhouses this week and they were doing so well. They had been sprayed with Copper fungicide! I have stripped off most of the leaves but fruit already affected on several plants. No longer grow them outside -not worth the bother. In counryside 12 miles outside Southampton.

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13/08/2009 at 21:46

I have grown my tomatos outside this year as I did have great year in 2008 (won't talk about 2007!). But now have blight and there doesn't seem to be a plant not affected. Its also in my courgettes - although I got a good crop before it attacked. Never sprayed before. Is there an organic way to prevent it? Varieties I grew were 'marmande' and 'roma'.

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13/08/2009 at 21:58

Fortunately no blight in Lincolnshire to date. My crop of Marmande both outside and in greenhouse is very good although a few have slightly ripened and then promptly split, can anyone tell me why? I can recommend the variety 'sweet olive' delicious sadly not ripening quickly enough to keep up with demand! Best year ever for cucumbers.

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13/08/2009 at 21:58

For the last three years when we have lifted our potatoes, about three days later our tomatoes are struck with blight. Is there a connection or it is just a bad co-incidence?

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14/08/2009 at 11:17

Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong with potatoes grown in bags... every year they start well, lovely stalks & leaves but then they seem to be struck with something. The leaves and stalks go brown and shrivle. Slugs & snails also seems to have a ball in the bags. I keep them well watered and generally look after them and this year tried Charlotte, Sharpes Express and Vivaldi but all suffered the same fate. I do get potatoes but not enought to make it worth while so what is the problem

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14/08/2009 at 16:21

I haven't got blight yet, but for the first time ever have an infestation of tomato moth caterpillars eating their way through my greenhouse toms. Have other people been affected this year?

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14/08/2009 at 20:11

This was my first attempt ato growing tomatoes this year, grew them from seed and was so proud as they were beautiful, lots of fruit and they were just beginning to ripen, then overnight they all died. I am devastated. Being a novice I had no idea what to look for, but I think next year I'll stick to buying my tomatoes from the supermarket, I can't face going thru all that again!

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15/08/2009 at 13:23

Hi Pippa, I have had some blight on the leaves of the tomato plants. I took off these leaves and the remaining ones seem ok at the moment. Is it safe to eat the Tomatoes if the leaves have been infected with blight. I have grown the plants organically and have not used sprays.

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15/08/2009 at 23:07

Tried my hand growing toms this year for the first time. Two hanging baskets and three pots in a grow bag. Both the hanging baskets where doing really well until last few days, now have been hit with the blight. I notice traces of blight now spread to some of the plants in the grow bags. How do I stop this spreading?

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16/08/2009 at 06:13

I have grown tomatoes outside for years and have never had any trouble with blight. This year I have tomatoes both inside and outside and all the outside plants have been decimated by tomato blight this year, apart from Tumbling Toms in a basket on the wall. Both these and the tomatoes in the greenhouse are still free of the disease at the moment, so I am hoping they will stay that way. What a waste! Is there anything I can do next year to stop this happening again?

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16/08/2009 at 07:47

I too have been hit by what I think is blight in the greenhouse, too windy here for outside growing I tried this last yr, i had 9 plants in greenhouse only 2 seem okish, 1 beefsteak with about 10 green large toms and one plum tomato plant with just 2. Feel ive done so much work too. Only good thigs have been spring onions, salads, peas, potatoes and beetroot...red onions are large but i dont know how to harvest and sweetcorn growing well

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16/08/2009 at 12:06

After reviewing Blight for what it is and how it works, I have come to the conclusion that it was sprayed from air planes. It could not have spread though my whole State as fast as it has without help. The blight was in the rain along with other chemicals that the Government spray’s from planes. Why, I’m not so sure other than they are all crooks and sick individuals! When you research cloud seeding with the understanding that population reduction is under way, the picture is very clear! It is going to be the most interesting decade in a long long time! Good luck all and better luck with your gardens next year ( in a green house)?

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16/08/2009 at 19:47

how can I stop the slugs boring into my potatoes ? this year is same as last have to cut away at potato till there is no damage. Appreciate any tips.