Ten Steps to Blight-free Tomatoes

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.

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

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Comment by Flighty on August 11, 2010 at 17:38: This year I'm growing just a few plants kindly given to me by a plot neighbour. I don't have a greenhouse so have to grow mine outside.
Next year I'm going to make yet another determined effort as so far I've failed miserably to grow my own from seed.
I've no other suggestions but will follow all these in the hope that I'm rather more successful than I have been! !

Comment by Damo on August 11, 2010 at 19:52: I have heard that growing them under fleece may create a barrier against blight, similar to growing in a greenhouse. It may also slow growth down to avoid any nutrient deficiencies that come with the plants relatively fast growth. Has anyone else heard of this? So far so good this year, fingers crossed!

Comment by VP on August 11, 2010 at 19:58: I've heard that keeping plants in tippity top condition helps them to stave off the disease for a little longer, so I'm making sure mine get lots of lovely liquid seaweed fertiliser this year.

Comment by Jeanette Small on August 18, 2010 at 10:24: This is the first time I have grown tomatoes ( and the first time I have ever added a blog comment to any site) but reading all the comments about blight is a worry.
I have 3 plants growing outside in pots and three small plants growing in a hanging basket all need some sunshine to rippen them of but I am going out armed with the list and pray all will be well.

Comment by Crazii_C on August 19, 2010 at 21:03: for the last 2 years my toms have died a death thanks to blight! i only have room to grow toms outside in pots so i have to take extra precautions against it. after reading your post last year, ive also tried Ferline, so far so good. they also seem to make large healthy plants. one tigerella plant has succumbed to blight so far this year, but the others are looking good. just need some sun now to ripen up the fruit!