Tomato Blight/Help..

[3waycross]

This is how it starts, usually about this time every year. It seems to hit the ones with fruit the worst.

Then it goes to this and worse. Usually 2 weeks from onset and they are dead

Another wierd thing this year. Put out 3 bush acorns first week of June. Al the same size in the same row. All i can figure is the one on the right got planted on top of a big hunk of cowcrap

Last but not least my favorite crop. Escarole. Transplanted these 2 weeks ago. They are just starting to make a head. When they are about 16 in across we pull them into a tight bunch and tie them off so that they blanch in the middle and get sweet and real buttery yellow color. What a treat. The rough outer leaves are great in soup with pastina!

 

[CottageFarm]

If it's Late Blight, it can be really tough to control once it starts. I've had some limited success with this process.

Remove (& destroy) all infected leaves and any fruit . Saturate leaves, stems & surrounding soil with fungicide. You can dilute the fungicide with water to make full coverage easier. Repeat after 3-4 days. I've also used Neem OIl with some success as well. I've been having a really bad year with tomato diseases this year too. I've already had to pull about 30 plants, and I find a new infection every few days.

Might want to side dress those other 2 squash, poor things :lol2:

 

[3waycross]

If it's Late Blight, it can be really tough to control once it starts. I've had some limited success with this process.

Remove (& destroy) all infected leaves and any fruit . Saturate leaves, stems & surrounding soil with fungicide. You can dilute the fungicide with water to make full coverage easier. Repeat after 3-4 days. I've also used Neem OIl with some success as well. I've been having a really bad year with tomato diseases this year too. I've already had to pull about 30 plants, and I find a new infection every few days.

Might want to side dress those other 2 squash, poor things :lol2:

What is Neem oil and where do you get it? I have been using a liquid spray on organic fertilizer on the squash as well as the rest of the garden. The one plant just seems to be going crazy and the others are duds. I am also going to have to pull all my summer squash today from powdery mildew, which i don't understand since it hasn't rained an in in the last month. I wanted to leave the whole garden fallow this year but the wife insisted i plant. This is what i get for listening to her just once :lol2:

BTW do you raise escarole?

 

[CottageFarm]

Neem Oil is one of the products approved for Organic growers.
This is the product that I use.
http://www.gardensafe.com/Products-and- ... icide.aspx
It's pretty readily available, I purchased from a local nursery, but I think Home Depot carries it as well.
Although I haven't tried it on powdery mildew it's marketed as effective against it. BTW, powdery mildew seems to be a bigger problem in hot, dry weather. Used to have lots of problems with it in Phoenix. Aphids were the main source of infection there.

No, I've never grown escarole. You've piqued my interest though. I may give it a test next year.

Don't bother with the expensive organic fertilizers. Stick with manure, compost or fish emulsion. The fish emulsion is especially fast acting, without any risk of burn.

Cucurbits are notoriously sensitive to transplant shock, that may also be what happened to the 2 little underacheivers. I gave up completely on transplanting all cucurbits this year. I've run tests in past years and found direct sown seeds were only about 4-5 days behind transplants for harvest, but were vastly healthier plants less susceptible to disease and stress.

 

[1982vett]

Something to be said about letting a garden lay fallow a year or two....I didn't plant one in 2010 or 2011 because the only way to grow one was constant watering. Planted a limited one this year, still mostly constant watering, but a noticeable absence of the usual insect problems.

 

[3waycross]

Neem Oil is one of the products approved for Organic growers.
This is the product that I use.
http://www.gardensafe.com/Products-and- ... icide.aspx
It's pretty readily available, I purchased from a local nursery, but I think Home Depot carries it as well.
Although I haven't tried it on powdery mildew it's marketed as effective against it. BTW, powdery mildew seems to be a bigger problem in hot, dry weather. Used to have lots of problems with it in Phoenix. Aphids were the main source of infection there.

No, I've never grown escarole. You've piqued my interest though. I may give it a test next year.

Don't bother with the expensive organic fertilizers. Stick with manure, compost or fish emulsion. The fish emulsion is especially fast acting, without any risk of burn.

Cucurbits are notoriously sensitive to transplant shock, that may also be what happened to the 2 little underacheivers. I gave up completely on transplanting all cucurbits this year. I've run tests in past years and found direct sown seeds were only about 4-5 days behind transplants for harvest, but were vastly healthier plants less susceptible to disease and stress.

If you decide to plant the Scarola we need to talk a bit. It is a wonderful green but there are tricks. I had the organic spray on so i used it up. I much prefer manure tea for established plants but not as a spray. I did transplant cukes this year with great success. I will try a fungicide on the whole garden maybe it will help. I am actually seeing far fewer insects this year. Especially grasshoppers.
Cottage you should visit this site i know you have some Italian blood it will really ring your bell when you see all the varieties.
http://www.growitalian.com/

 

[Jogeephus]

Here's a key that might be helpful.


http://organicgardening.about.com/b/200 ... ptoria.htm