Deteriorating toms

[Deltawhiskey]

I have Mountain Magic tomatoes which have been problem free for the whole of summer and given me piles of fruit. However they are now having problems. There are stacks of fruit still ripening but as soon as they do patches of mottling show up and that area of the fruit becomes harder than the other parts. I have had a good run with them but I would like to know what it is.

David

[Thelma Sanders]

Sounds like they are finally showing as blighted, it is late in the year so they have done well to get this far.

[Kirk]

I eventyually gave up on mine, they just never ripened and then blight got all of them.
The tomatos all stared to display mottling and turned a brown/grey.
Everyone was eventually added to the councils green recycling. So not a single tomato this year.

I have the idea there is a late blight as well as a sort of normal one and at a guess that was the culprit.

As not a tomato ripened at all I guess it was a case of just waiting for something to get at them. Real question is why none ripened ? Lots of them but everyone green for the whole time.

When the tomato's went I had very little left and decided to remove all and start on bed preparation for the next round of the battle.

[bramble]

Kirk, what time of the year did you sow the seeds.
What variety were they.
Were they indoor or outdoor.
Were they in the ground or in pots..
If in pots, what size were they.
There are so many things to consider.
Maybe give us some more information and we can help.

[MarkPelican]

Kirk,

The Blight we get in the UK is mainly "Late Blight" (Phytopthora Infestans) and its pretty fatal to all tomato (and related) plants.

There's also an "Early Blight" (Alternaria Solani) which is something different and not as common in the UK. This tends to be less fatal (although not good).

The only solution I've found to late blight is not to grow tomatoes outdoors at the allotment. I've tried "Blight Resistant" varieties and, whilst they resist, they still succumb. However, in the 20 or so years I've been growing tomatoes in my greenhouse, I've never had blight in there.

I remember seeing a programme from Wisley where the RHS expert said that they only ever went into the tomato greenhouse first thing in the morning before the blight spores had got on to their clothes and didn't use rainwater to water the plants because there would be blight spores in the water.

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Kirk,

The Blight we get in the UK is mainly "Late Blight" (Phytopthora Infestans) and its pretty fatal to all tomato (and related) plants.

There's also an "Early Blight" (Alternaria Solani) which is something different and not as common in the UK. This tends to be less fatal (although not good).

The only solution I've found to late blight is not to grow tomatoes outdoors at the allotment. I've tried "Blight Resistant" varieties and, whilst they resist, they still succumb. However, in the 20 or so years I've been growing tomatoes in my greenhouse, I've never had blight in there.

I remember seeing a programme from Wisley where the RHS expert said that they only ever went into the tomato greenhouse first thing in the morning before the blight spores had got on to their clothes and didn't use rainwater to water the plants because there would be blight spores in the water.

All sounds very logical to me! and to be honest like yourself have never had blight in my greenhouse!

But this as certainly not been a good year for me, and although in another post I have said the dreaded blight might be here, until my next visit to the allotment I may be wrong! Well here's hoping!