My Tiny Plot

>

It’s about this time of year that I start to fuss and worry about blight on my Tomatoes. I’ve never really been able to relax since The Year the Tomatoes Died. So I thought I would re-publish this little article that I wrote last year for the Guardian Gardening blog. I will be doing all of this again this year, come rain or shine :)

When I first starting vegetable gardening in 2005 growing Tomatoes was a doddle, a breeze. Just bung in the plants, water them a bit, feed them a bit and ta-da! right on que at the end of August you’d be eating your own home-grown tommies.

Not anymore. Over the last few years, our summers have been, well, disappointing. And if we’re deluged in rain again this year it means one thing; that growing outdoor Tomatoes in the UK will be more of a battle with wind and rain in an effort to avoid the dreaded…gulp… blight.

As most will know, Tomato blight is a nasty disease that starts with small brown patches on stalks and leaves but soon progresses to the fruits.

If I had a greenhouse I’d take my Tomatoes under cover. But since I don’t have that option (and frankly the thought of ‘not’ growing Tomatoes makes me feel a little nauseous) then there’s only one thing for it – to fight.

Here’s my plan.

1. Grow (or buy) vigorous, healthy plants.
2. Don’t plant Tomatoes in the same spot as last year.
3. Plant disease-resistant varieties (Ferline, for example)
4. Remove the bottom leaves up to the first truss of fruits to avoid splash back
5. Remove and destroy all plant waste after the growing season
6. Avoid watering on to the leaves. Water directly to the roots and don’t handle plants when the vines are wet.
7. Control weeds in and around the plants. Weeds serve as hosts for insects and disease.
8. Control pests (particularly aphids) which may transmit disease from plant to plant.
9. Remove plants as soon as the tell-tale brown patches are seen. Wash hands and tools with a detergent after handling affected plants.
10. Choose a sunny location and provide a removable rain cover if possible.
11. Pray (or at least ask the rain gods to take pity on me).

So there you have it my 10 – err 11 point plan. If anyone has any more suggestions then please post them in the comments. When fighting Mother Nature you need all the weapons you can get.

My Tomatoes are doing well. Despite this last week of almost continual rain they are starting to set fruit. I have eight plants in all, all outdoor. Four of them are in the sunniest bed in the garden and four in the ‘almost’ sunniest bed in the garden.

Last year, all of my Tomatoes were on the south-facing wall. They loved it until the rains came and blight set in. Now the south-facing wall is out of bounds for Tomatoes since blight can hang around in the soil year on year. But that’s okay – I’m over it. We’ll go with the sunniest bed for now.

If the rain continues, then I’ll be putting all my trust in Ferline’s reputed blight resistance – and a strategically-placed sun umbrella to keep the rain off.

Will it work? Who knows? All I know is that with small Tomatoes starting to form, it’s time to start feeding them (with Tomato feed) and crossing my fingers for fresh Tomato pasta come the end of August. How is everyone else’s Toms doing?

It’s time to transplant my Tomato seedlings from their nursery tray into individual pots. The seedlings have at least two of their larger, ‘real’ leaves and they are nice and short, green and vigorous.

I’m planting them well below the soil level that they were at in the tray. I’m trying to get them so deep in the pots that the soil almost reaches the lowest leaves (but not quite). This will encourage the plant to send out roots from the stem to make an even more sturdy and healthy plant.

All I need to do now is to fully harden them off and they will be ready to be planted in their final position in the garden.

I totally love growing Tomatoes. There are few other vegetables as satisfying to grow as Tomatoes. Now all I need to do is make sure they don’t get blight, like last year – hmmm…easier said than done.

Here’s my plan of attack (apart from the usual of removing the lower leaves on the plant)

• Plant my seedlings nowhere near where I planted them last year (blight can linger in the soil).
• Plant disease-resistant varieties (I’m going for Ferline).
• I’ll be taking special care not to water on to the leaves.
• I’ll try to control weeds in and around the plants. Weeds serve as hosts for insects and disease.
• Control insect pests (especially aphids) which may transmit disease from plant to plant.
• As soon as I see any sign of blight, that will be the death knell for that plant (harsh but necessary).
• I’m planting them in the sunniest spot in the garden.
• I might try to rig up some kind of removable rain cover (I might).
• I’ll be asking the rain gods for some nice weather this summer – well you can but ask.

If anyone has any more tips for keeping outdoor Tomatoes blight-free, let’s hear it. I need all the help I can get.