I’m going to post selected questions and answers in the blog. I start off with tomato blight. Enjoy!
Q. We have that tomato blight in our garden soil. We have moved our tomatoes to the other side of the garden but still seem to have it. I know that it is in the soil, so how do we take care of the problem? Is the soil lacking something that we need to amend it with?
Belmont, Michigan
A. Tomato blight is hard to get rid of. It is present in many soils. It is activated by excess moisture left on the foliage. Several things have been tried with success:
- Water at the bottom of the plant when possible, and avoid watering late in the day when foliage could remain wet overnight.
- Spray preventatively with copper-based fungicides.
- Keep plants well separated from other tomatoes and other plants. In other words, allow them good air circulation so they’ll dry off quickly.
- Make certain to plant in a location that has a maximum day of sunshine (again, so the foliage will dry out).
- Search for resistant varieties. These may be better at warding off blight: Juliet, Santa, Legend, Bali and Ferline.
—Denny Blew, President, Centerton Nursery
