Blight Qs - can an expreienced hand help???

[avinabacca]

I know I've posted this elsewhere, but would really appreciate a bit of advice form an old hand if poss?

Blight's hit toms and spuds down the plot, planning to go up today after work and do the necessary as follows:

- potatoes: I'm planning to cut the haulm down to ground level and leave the spuds in the earth until the end of the month to let the spores die off - is this the best thing to do, or is there something better?

- tomatoes: Thinking of pulling up the plants, taking the (green) toms off and perhaps soaking them in a weak solution of Milton to remove the blight spores - is this necessary, or will they be alright with just the normal rinse and wipe?

- infected foliage: To be chopped up and burned - I know the risk of composting as-is, but the ash will be alright to use on the plot, right?

- canes & ties: I'm planning to disinfect these with a solution of household bleach - is this suitable? I'd have thought it would do the job, but if anyone's got better ideas, please do tell. Also, if they'd better be burned than disinfected, it would be useful to know that too.......

- afterwards: Secateurs, knives and trowels used in the operation to be disinfected in bleach solution (as above), all clothes taken home and put through a hot cycle, good scrub under a hot shower for me too.

Anything I've missed? If anyone can advise I'd really appreciate it - this blight's come on really quickly and is really quite depressing, what it's done to the plants. I want to get it all nipped in the bud now, though, so if there's anything I'm planning which fills any experienced gardeners here with horror, do let me know.......

[rustylady]

Sounds OK to me. Bear in mind that even if you do sterilise the tomatoes they probably won't ripen for eating fresh. You'd be better to use the sound ones for chutney or something

[avinabacca]

Thanks for that - yep, all done now and have about a bucketful of green toms to be going on with.

Gutted, though.

[geoff]

If blight has got to the potato tubers, here is a way of making them keep/store a bit longer

The traditional way of storing potatoes is in a paper or hessian sack, but if there's a possibility of blight you need to let air circulate around them and keep them dry
Spread them one layer deep on a tray like a large seed tray or a cut down cardboard box. Place a few sheets of newspaper lightly on top to keep the light out. Then put them somewher cool, but not damp