Tomato Blight

[TonyV]

Hi all
As some you may know I volunteer at a community garden. Our tomatoes - grown in a polly tunnel in raised beds had a lot of blight this year- although offending plants have been removed this morning and will be burnt rather than composted- question is should the soil be removed i.e. Will the blight have gone into the soil Thanks in advance

[Old_Geezer]

Ah that looks similar to what happened to some of my tomatoes this year. I hope someone answers as I'd be interested. I was just going to leave the trough full of the original compost and reuse it in the spring. Seems as if it may be the wrong thing to do then.

[Old_Geezer]

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=217

http://www.veseys.com/us/en/learn/reference/vegetable/tomatoblight

"Proper sanitation measures can keep spores from infecting the next crop. At the end of the growing season all tomato refuse should be removed and discarded, composted (if the pile is hot enough to kill the spores) or tilled into the soil. Thoroughly burying the residue will keep the spores below the soil surface and away from tomatoes.

Crop rotation is another means to help reduce disease in tomato plantings. Each year plant tomatoes in a new location away from areas where tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes or peppers have grown in the past. These vegetables all have similar disease problems. A minimum rotation of three years is considered essential to help reduce populations of soil-borne fungi."

Sounds like you can reuse the soil but ideally not for 3 years. If you can till the refuse into the soil it can't be necessary to sling it.

[TonyV]

OG seems like we will have to remove the soil and compost it we have peppers in adjoining polly tunnel
This is the site
http://www.blaby.gov.uk/resident/leisure-and-parks/countryside-areas/a-place-to-grow/

[Cloverjo]

What a lovely place, TonyV. We need more like that.

Blight seems to have been a common problem this year. My tomatoes and my dad's have suffered. We used to get loads from a neighbour as she always had too many, but none this year.

[TonyV]

Yes Clover it's a gorgeous place and helps and supports a lot of people including local school children and other local groups

[tamborine]

Polytunnels cause condensation = blight.

Air circulation can be achieved with fans to also dry excess moisture

[TonyV]

Ok Tamberine all we can do is venterlate the tunnels when we are there so a change of soil and good soil hygiene is best we can do

[tamborine]

Open tunnel sides x 1ft during daylight to aereate & dry out soil. Or prick out holes at bottom of tunnel sides.

New soil will suffer same fate without aereation.

[melv16]

My poly tunnel cover is on its last legs, one end is just mesh, there's a hole in the roof and the zips gone on the door. I've had a bumper year for tomatoes and I'm still picking them.
I think ventilation is the cure for blight, as I haven't a trace this year.

[alavahalf]

Are you sure it was blight .. what did the leaves look like. The only guy I would ask for reliable information tells me he has never changed his soil in 20 years and only takes the top 2 inches off the raised beds, before adding more compost at the start of the season. If you manage to overwater them, then you will get condensation. With condensation then you invite all manner of problems. Do you have doors at either end of the tunnel. Too much ventilation or cold wind and you may get burn marks on the leaves. It really is all about experimentation.
My tunnel more or less stays open at both ends from april onwards. With only a mesh screen in the doorway for wind protection. The soil is not damp when you feel it by hand. It is only damp at 3-4 inches down at root level. My only watering is done through plant pots sunk in the ground beside the plant so as not to saturate the stalk of the plant. Little and often is the way forward, dont think you are doing the plant any favours by giving it a load extra just because the sun is out.

Blight only affects the toms if I try to grow them outdoors. For that reason I no longer attempt to and quite easily produce a couple of hundred pounds of toms in the tunnel each year.

Ps.. still picking now although they will be finished in 2 weeks time !