It was a sad day. For weeks I have been wondering why our tomato plants were developing dark spots on the leaves and the fruit. It turns out they are infected with the fungus-like oomycete pathogen Phytophthora infestans, the same disease that caused the infamous Irish potato famine. Our potatoes seem fine so Francesca and I harvested them. The tomato plants are in the dumpster. The pathogen can over-winter so we did not put them in the compost. The disease can be prevented if healthy plants are sprayed with a fungicide containing chlorothalonil. We choose to use organic methods in our garden so this was not an option. Next year I will spray the plants with neem oil once a week to prevent a repeat of this year. The perils of gardening...ah...such is life.
So far this year we have lost two cherry trees, the Minnesota Midget melons, Longfellow cucumbers, peppers, gourds and now the tomatoes.
No comments:
Post a Comment