Garden Variety Denial

not mine! (can't give you a good picture yet)


This post could also be titled-

• That's what I get for being so proud

(I really was happy about how beautiful my garden had grown, although I know it really isn't anything I did personally.)

or

• HELP HELP

or

• Don't just sit there crying in your tomatoes

5-6 weeks ago, I began to see some browning of leaves on my tomato plants. Not wanting to believe that I had Early Tomato Blight, I just ignored it, hoping it was something else, or just normal development. Typically I am just the harvester of the crops, so this year I am needing to pay more attention....only I didn't!

So yes, we have tomato blight, but I am not giving up without a fight.

I still have to find out if we can eat tomatoes that have ANY blight on them. I was just assuming that as long as we didn't eat the little black spot we were fine. Last night Ken questioned that, ruining my night - yes I actually had tomato dreams. (Did I mention that he is allergic to mold and that blight is a fungal disease?) Anyway, I will call the extension service on Monday to find out. I do have a few tomatoes already on the patio table without any spots (knock wood), so we won't go totally without. Also, many of the cherry tomatoes are escaping without any spots. Plus my plan of action (actually no longer just a plan) will hopefully cause some changes in the garden.

Anyway, last week I decided that blight and I can no longer peacefully co-exist and this week I have really gone to battle.

1. I am removing all pieces of blighted vine. (10 walmart bags this week so far) I have one plant that is bald, except for 20+ green tomatoes. I figure this allows the vine to put all it's energy into the tomatoes rather than into blighted vine. Also if there isn't any blight on the vine, I am hoping that there is nothing bad to get on the actual tomato.


2. I am removing the fruit as soon as it starts to turn color, hoping to spare it the disease. I am ripening on the patio table (of course yesterday there were bugs under some of my tomatoes out there, so I thought I should bring them in the house, until Ken reminded me of the mold/fungus thing - so now they are back outside, bug free for awhile. Hopefully I am going to have way to many to have on my kitchen counter anyway.)


3. I mulched under the vines. This was recommended awhile back, but I didn't know where to buy straw and didn't want to use the grass clippings that people had left, worried they might have fertilizers. (also in denial and busy, still in weeding mode - very little time left for weeding these days) Last night I decided, better fertilizer under the tomato plants than black spots on them. (The blight is in the soil, so this keeps it from splashing onto the vines.)

repeat steps 1 and 2

Have I mentioned that we had blight in Newburgh and it wasn't really a big deal, just shorted our season a bit. Again, I was just the harvester there and didn't worry about things too much. Now I feel the need to ensure these tomatoes are safe to eat and try to keep all future tomatoes "clean". Wish me luck, because with all the volunteer plants that came up, I have almost 50 tomato plants. They were so beautiful and big - still are, now that I have gotten rid of much of the blighted vines.

I decided that it isn't sacrilegious to say a tomato prayer, since I just want them to feed my family and others. It really isn't selfish and I promise not to take any of the credit. I just need some help from gardening angels.