(Very) Down in the Dumps

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Despite my best efforts, blight has taken hold and I fear my entire tomato garden is going west. I could cry. I'm going to have one more attempt to halt the spread with Bordeaux mixture, but I don't think it's going to work. Bloody, bloody, weather.

[oldjerry]

Got to worth a try Jon.I didn't realise you were getting this crap weather over there too.I know weather patterns vary from year to year,but I really think there will come a time soon,in my lifetime even,when we're going to have to change the way we garden. Maybe everything in tunnels so we can better control the enviroment?

fingers crossed for you BWs.

[Green Aura]

I would be too, Jon. You got to give it a shot.

If it doesn't work can you at least salvage some of the green tomatoes - or has it gone too far?

[Odsox]

I really think there will come a time soon,in my lifetime even,when we're going to have to change the way we garden. Maybe everything in tunnels so we can better control the enviroment?

Already here OJ. All my veg this year, apart from one row of maincrop peas, is in tunnels or greenhouses and I'm having bumper crops of everything (famous last words ?). But then I am a control freak and like it to rain when I want it to rain.

Sorry to hear of your woes Jon. Too late for this year but I always grow several blight resistant Ferline which surprisingly are quite a good variety on it's own merits. I have found that they really are blight resistant, unlike Legend, and can be a life saver at times like this.
I really hope the Bordeaux mixture works for you. If not, dump the "mixture" bit and concentrate on the Bordeaux.

[Mustardseedmama]

I'm sorry to hear about your tomatoes Jon. I hope things clear up soon.

[prison break fan]

A bit off subject I know, but on our allotment we have blight, which has hit the tomatoes and potatoes really badly for the second year running. I am feeling a bit smug as I have the only potatoes so far not affected. They are called Sarpo Mira, and are main crop. Apparently you don't get such a large yield, but that is better than blight ruined ones. I have given up on outdoor tomatoes as the same thing happens every year. pbf.

[diggernotdreamer]

This is most distressing for you, months of hard work down the drain, so sorry. Have to say have mostly grown toms in greenhouses and more recently in tunnels, outside is usually a disaster. My outdoor potatoes do not have blight at the moment (touch wood) I noticed two of my neighbours had succumbed to blight, such a shame.

I grew both Sarpo Mira and Axona. I got huge yields of both, lovely oval shaped pink/red in colour, some where enormous. Only problem was I could not cook them, not matter what I did, baked they were very dry and ultra floury, I put them in the pressure cooker for 1o minutes as usual, still hard, 15 minutes still hard, 20 minutes still hard in the middle, 25 minutes IN THE PRESSURE COOKER - mush. I was talking to a friend the other day and she loved them and managed to cook them, but the Irish do like their spuds very floury. Never tried them again, even the chickens wouldn't eat them. You will have to let us know how you get on with them.

[Ellendra]

Came across a treatment for blight that someone on another forum said saved their plants, I'll try and dig that up.

[Ellendra]

Here's the person's post. I haven't had any blight, so I haven't tried it, but if you're not afraid of bleach it might be worth a shot:
"I took a regular pump sprayer (bought one just for this), filled it with exactly one gallon of water. Then added exactly 1 cup (8oz) of clorox bleach. (not splashless, not kroger or other store brand, not scented. Just regular clorox bleach (it’s a formulation issue, some stronger in their bleach component than others)). Sprayed them at/after sunset till they were dripping making sure to thoroughly saturate the new growth.

They have survived. the leaves that were going to die, died. The new growth looks spectacular. The vines are putting out suckers where the old leaves died. I’ve had to redo the spraying 2-3 times a week depending on weather. It’s cheap, doesn’t accumulate in the soil like copper and unlike most ‘organic’ controls for blight actually works. The bleach oxidizes really quickly and is ‘gone’ within an hour or two. Do it after sun goes down so the plants don’t ‘cook’ in the sunlight and after all the bees go home. I usually follow up with a dusting of DE to kill aphids/other critters and then feed them some mater food.

Be sure to stand UPWIND! I wear a mask too just because."


Good luck!

[gregorach]

Yeah, lots of blight hitting people's tatties on the allotment this year... Touch wood, mine are so far unaffected. I don't waste my time trying to grow tomatoes outdoors, and the ones in the greenhouse are fine.

Everything else, on the other hand... It's been a disastrous year so far. Most things just aren't growing (except the weeds) and the slugs and snails are destroying everything. By all accounts, it's been the worst gardening year in living memory.

[prison break fan]

Gregorach, what variety of potatoes are you growing? pbf.

[gregorach]

I'm growing Sharpe's Express, Arran Victory and Salad Blue... I think the Sharpe's Ex and Arran have some blight resistance, but mainly I think I've just been lucky so far...

[prison break fan]

Fingers crossed then! pbf.

[diggernotdreamer]

Haven't had blight on my spuds yet, am in North West Ireland. I have grown Arran Victory, Lady Balfour, Nicola, Sante, Cosmos and they are looking good, the second earlies are nearly ready to harvest and hopefully the maincrops are only a few weeks behind, I usually try to harvest all by the middle of August, so if I have to cut the foliage off soon will still have something

[Rosendula]

I've seen a few black spots on my potato leaves that look suspiciously like blight. I've pulled them off in the hope it doesn't get any worse, but I have that awful feeling that next time I go to the allotment I'll be chopping all the tops off. I really hope it doesn't reach my tomatoes because they've only just started flowering, but I reckon it will. They usually fair far worse than the potatoes. I've had blight every year I've been on the allotment so far, but this year it's particularly early.

Everything else as been quite disappointing too. Like Gregorch, the only decent growth I have is weeds. It's been so bad that my plot looks quite neglected, yet every time I go I'm pulling up a couple of barrowloads of weeds. I haven't been able to sow nearly as many seeds as normal because of the constant battle against weeds. It's all been rather disheartening if I'm honest.