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New Brunswick

Last year I harvested a lovely crop of some red, but mostly green tomatoes. Instead of ripening, the durned things started getting random brown spots all over them. Some would continue to ripen, but of course were not fit to eat. Is this a form of blight? The plants themselves did not turn black, but seemed to remain healthy. Is there something I can do to prevent this from happening this year?

5/22/2006 10:16:48 AM

Follansbee, Wv

It could be any number of diseases including late blight. Use a variety of fungicides (2-3) throughout the growing season. Move your tomatoes to another place in the garden if possible, and remove diseased fruit as soon as you notice it.
As for which disease it is, it's hard to say without actually holding the fruit in my hand. It could be early or late blight, Anthracnose, Buckeye rot...etc...etc.
Since you say the plants remained healthy I would hazard a guess at Anthracnose, but the symptoms don't quite fit that either.

5/23/2006 7:37:38 PM

New Brunswick

I have done many an internet search and could not come up with a definite answer as to the disease I had. I am going to get something to treat them with to hopefully avoid this happening again this year. My neighbours tomatoes suffered the same fate last year. We have had this problem other years but it does not always occur. Seems almost as if the weather causes it. Some years fine, other years we lose the crop. One friend grew Scotias last summer and hers were all red and used up before our tomatoes were even ripe. This year I am growing Scotias in hopes that if it were late blight they may escape it. What kind of dust do you suggest to prevent blight? I had two patio tomatoe plants on my deck last year and they were just fine....no sign of a problem. I am definitly moving my potatoes and tomatoes to another location in the garden. Should they be near each other?

5/23/2006 10:26:12 PM