I'm giving up

[HayleyB]

On my tomatoes.

It's my own fault really because I missed Spring before we sorted out the front garden into The Allotment (nicknamed so by DD). And having sown in May (ending up with 50 plants) and with monsoons ever since. I still have green toms except one that's orange and chronic spreading blight.

I have battled to keep the various areas apart and picked the green toms on those that have succumbed but it's spread and now I have only about 10 unblighters

So that's it, enough is enough, I'm gonna pick the rest (apart from the Orange tomato plant which is on the back deck) and give up on waiting for them to ripen on the plants.

I have bought a banana and I'm gonna pray I can eat at least one red tom before Summer is over.

Anyone else bought a banana - does it really work????

[zazen999]

Well, my Auroras gave me about 15 red toms in June and then stopped. i gave up waiting and stuck 3 banana skins and within 2 days had red toms again.

It could be timing or the bananas; who knows.

I've got blight at the lottie toms, but my garden ones seem to be ok. The garden ones got a bit more spraying at the start so whether that's got anything to do with it...I'll definitely be spraying every 3 weeks without fail next year; I use Dithane but thought 2/3 sprayings at the start would be enough - it evidently wasn't.

[Stacey Steve]

I know exactly how you feel.

Last year I lost all my toms to blight.

This year I lost all my outdoor toms to grey mould.

However by this time next year................

[HayleyB]

What's Dithane?

I've been reading the Tomatoes case for prosecution thread and I felt really downhearted as I adore tomatoes in any form.

I've bought Golden Boy F1, Striped stuffer and Tomatillo Purple de Mila for next year and will plant those with a few of the recommendations on the Thread (if I can get the seeds) including Gardeners delight. But believe me I'll be sowing in March

[zazen999]

Dithane is a fungicide used to treat blight. Not everyone agrees with using it, but after losing so many plants last year I didn't want it to happen again. I don't like spraying once the fruit has set; but it looks like I might have to.

It's not organic; and I will also be looking for decent organic solutions next year.

[Snadger]

I think the only option for getting tomatoes if you are in a major blight area is to grow blight resistant varieties. Ferline is one I think?

[Duronal]

It is indeed snadger, it's also EXTREMELY tasty. It get a thumbs up from me but is quite expensive.

[zazen999]

I'm giving up F1s altogether next year though...

[MaureenHall]

Lost all my tomatoes at the lottie to blight too . Is there any way I can sterilize the soil where they were planted? I'm not intending to put potatoes there for another couple of years but I'd like to eradicate any potential problems if possible

[lynda66]

mine have just got their first flowers, but i'm still holding out for the next 2 months of beautiful sunshine

[TrulyGreen]

A few weeks back another Grape said to feed the plants every day with a weak tom feed and that would encourage them to go red. I gave it a go (although every other day) and low and behold my greenhouse toms have at last started to ripen I think I will only grow tumblers outside.....the blight thing sounds horrendous

[dan1979]

A few weeks back another Grape said to feed the plants every day with a weak tom feed

I read that and I've been doing it (when the amount of rain hasn't made it pointless) but no joy.

Only my small tumbling toms have provided anything edible, everything else (3xharbinger,GD and marmande) are showing signs of blight so I'm trying to salvage an odd tomato here and there.

Feels like a complete waste of time and effort this year (only my second year)

[Snadger]

Dithane is a fungicide used to treat blight. Not everyone agrees with using it, but after losing so many plants last year I didn't want it to happen again. I don't like spraying once the fruit has set; but it looks like I might have to.

It's not organic; and I will also be looking for decent organic solutions next year.

Here's a few ideas! The mares tail fungicide sounds interesting!

Sprays for pest control - Organic Food Gardening

[MaureenHall]

Noticed this evening that all my tomatoes at home have also got blight . I've taken off all the fruit to make some chutney and binned the plants "toot sweet". So that's it for this year now, not 1 red tomato and the green ones look a bit iffy too!

[HayleyB]

I have just eaten my 'orange' tomato with bacon and sausages and poached egg, it was the nicest tasting tomato I have ever eaten.

Shows how daft I am though, I've been waiting for it to go red, took the plunge to eat it cause it felt ripe but was worried 'cause I wanted that whole 'first ever homegrown' experience. How was I to know that red meant orange - doh

Still desperately hoping some of the greenies will ripen although some of them have been discarded cause they started to brown