Tomato blight or some other nasty? It was all going so well :(

[Baldy]

Should be fine to re-use your pots and whatnot...

[bramble]

Oh no. I would have to say. Wash your pots and canes, or other equipment in Jayes Fluid or other stearilizing fluid.
You cant be too careful.

[Baldy]

^^^ well Max said he was washing his pots n tubs.
There's is no evidence that blight spores can survive overwinter on a plastic pot - seems to me that getting any blighted vegetation out of the ground and destroyed is probably sensible.

at least 3 different answers to any question here though

[TrialAndError]

Never re-use compost where tomato blight has been present and sterilise the containers.

Having said that, tomato blight spores are present in many areas and they overwinter well. The real question about blight is not "are the spores present and ready to infect your plants" - they almost always are - but "are the conditions correct for blight spores to attack your plants". In your case the conditions were correct and the ever present spores attacked your tomatoes.

Is there a solution? The only solution I know to reduce the risk to near zero is to grow the only blight resistant variety available in the UK - Crimson Crush. See the review:

Growing notes and review of Crimson Crush tomatoes

They grow well outside and from my experience they are very tasty. For the last three years I have always grown a couple of them as a safeguard against bight.

[Baldy]

https://www.kingsseeds.com/Products/...ntain-Magic-F1
so there are a couple of varieties to try - cost a bit more mind you

spores - they need plant material to overwinter so a washed pot isn't gong to do them any good...

[Penellype]

I grew Mountain Magic last year along with Ferline, which is also sometimes described as blight resistant or blight tolerant. When the inevitable blight arrived both varieties were affected, although they lasted longer than the non-resistant varieties. Once the plants started showing signs of blight the green fruit didn't ripen before it went brown, just like other varieties.

I am trying Crimson Crush for the first time this year, so I can't comment on it from experience. However it is worth noting the wording on the advertising - these varieties are "resistant" or "tolerant", they are not said to be "immune". I think the best you can hope for is an extra window of time (compared with the ordinary varieties) before the plants succumb to blight.

[MarkPelican]

Interestingly, I've given up with Crimson Crush. I grew it in 2015 from Dobies Plants and 2016 from seed. In both instances most of the fruit got blight, even if the plants survived. Last year none of the outdoor crop ripened before the frost.



I also grew Mountain Magic last year with greater success. More fruit and a few that ripened on the plant.

However, both did better that any other varieties grown outdoors at the allotment in that the plant survived. The only solution I've found is not to grow tomatoes at the allotment.

[Baldy]

^^^ yeah - I'm not sure I'll even bother sticking my "left over plants" in the ground at the plot next year - just have some of them in MFB's at home. Home is only quarter of a mile from the plot but if I get blight at home its usually a month after the plot - guessing the exposed nature of the plot makes most of the difference. Might give mountain magic a go... hmmm decisions decisions...

[Leezy2]

Blight, just accept it.

I love how optimistic we all are here. I think blight is one we just have to accept, our tomato plants will die, out tomatoes will not ripen before they rot.

I spotted signs on one plant this year, within 48 hours i had this:



Green tomatoes it is.

[Penellype]

I love how optimistic we all are here. I think blight is one we just have to accept, our tomato plants will die, out tomatoes will not ripen before they rot.

I spotted signs on one plant this year, within 48 hours i had this:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]76012[/ATTACH]

Green tomatoes it is.

What a shame. The recent weather has been blight heaven - we have had Hutton alerts every day this week. I keep going and checking mine, and picking any fruit that are half ripe just in case.

[Leezy2]

It's not a problem. I've just got two years worth of chutney this summer instead of passata!! My butternut squash are growing like mad though!

[Russel Sprout]

Another quick update... The Red Alerts are still producing lots of lovely toms. Just about keeping up with them, and eating then everyday as well as munching on one or two each time we pass the plants! So considering how rapidly some of the other plants succumbed to blight (and the fact that our garden is not that big), I'd say that either we managed to get rid of the blighted plants very quickly as and when we noticed the signs... And/or Red Alert have a good blight resistance.

Thanks for all the helpful replies and info

[Baldy]

^^^ I was under the impression that they were regarded as somewhat blight resistant but a quick search around hasn't led to anything that confirms that - just that they crop early and well (the early bit might explain why they generally avoid blight - though clearly it isn't early now) - might give them a go next year