Birmingham, Blight and Tomatoes

[donnakebab]

I am raising approximately 30 tomato plants with a view to growing some of them on my allotment.

However, I've spoken to some of the old guys on the site and they reckon that it's a waste of time growing them because the site is exposed and they always get blight anyway. Birmingham is rife with Blight it seems. I have seen for myself that blight does get to the spuds eventually so most of us don't bother growing main crop, just the early varieties.

Do you think I should have a go anyway?

Also one of the guys spoke to Pippa Greenwood at a recent local food come agricultural show at Stoneleigh I think and apparently she was saying that Onion Fly is becoming a big problem around the UK. Has Anybody else heard this?

[chris]

What about that tomato frame zaz made?

[Thelma Sanders]

I don't know about onion fly but our site got what the old boys called 'leek moth' really bad last year

have to grow everything under enviromesh soon!

[bearded bloke]

Allium leaf miner is about in the west midlands

[Jeanied]

We get blight on our site as well - there are three courses of action to try and get a tomato crop, from what I have seen.
Our Italian plotholder uses copper spray as a preventative and sprays regularly after that to keep the blight from spoiling the whole plant.
Some of our plotholders get their plants fruiting as early as they can to avoid the main blight times in high summer.
Others have a particularly sheltered part of their plot - usually near a wall or fence - out of the prevailing winds which seem to bring the blight along. Some of them fleece as well to keep the airborne spores off.

There are some tomatoes that people think are more resistant but I have not seen too much written about this.

As for alliums - can't help! I get onion white rot and that kills them all quicker!

[Aberdeenplotter]

Onion root fly has been around longer than I have. I use french marigolds as a companion plant which seems to manage to keep mine clear.

If blight is a problem for you with tomatoes, try some of the new blight resistant varieties. Ferline is one I think but there are others

[taff]

I'd go with building Zazens cover thingy, but I can't find the link....

[VirginVegGrower]

I'd go with building Zazens cover thingy, but I can't find the link....

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ess_60544.html

[Poolcue]

I am in the same boat but for the allotment i am trying blight resistant/tolerant types down there.nothing ventured nothing gained

[Kaiya]

Same boat here - I'm hoping to try the frame idea this year. Never realised how blessed I was when I used to live in blight-free suburbia!

[donnakebab]

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ess_60544.html

Thanks Taff and VVG. This looks very positive. I have bumped the thread.

[donnakebab]

I have found some blight resistant strains on the T & M sight but they will be for another year as I have over 30 babies already in the nursery.

[Two_Sheds]

our site got what the old boys called 'leek moth' really bad last year

Yes, we get leek moth 'really bad' here too: I have to grow my leeks under mesh now

[taff]

me too, got it two years running now, and in the garlic once it's been lifted so i can't dry it outdoors any more.

[horticultural_hobbit]

Will be taking my tomato experiments down to the plot. I remember being in awe when of the lotment neighbours had lopped of a bit of vine with some lovely red toms. At home, have only ever grown in pots, and it's mainly been Minibel; and they did go manky towards the end of their life. My problem was they didn't ripen except when put in pyrex bowl and onto a warm windowsill.