Late Blight: It's that time again

I had posted this in another thread but decided it's time for a new thread.


Late blight on tomatoes confirmed in CT, MA, ME, NY, PA, IN, MD, MI, ND, KY, LA, WI and Manitoba. Here is an website that speaks to what it is, what it looks like, how your crops get it and how to treat it.

http://www.umassvegetable.org/LateBlightAlertforTomatoandPotato.html

Late Blight vs. Early Blight

An interesting concept on battling the dreaded late blight. Link to Mack Hill Farm

Crud.

I just spent an hour clipping all the dead/dying foliage off of my tomatoes -- late blight struck fast and hard. My 6-foot tall tomatoes that were thick and lush and productive are now just leggy, mostly leafless stems with a few unscathed tomatoes hanging on for dear life.

I was hoping it was just the time of year -- cooler weather, shorter days...things just winding down from the summer....but a few Googles turned up late blight.

Good news is that the spores don't survive the winter, and I'm not growing any of the nightshades for fall/winter. I'll know next year to start spraying with *something* (manure tea, compost tea, Neem oil....whatever) before it takes a big chunk out of my SFG.

I can take heart in the fact that I fed family and friends for over a month with the piles and piles of fresh tomatoes, and that this is a variety that grows really well here, and I can do it all again next year.

But it sure seems like an ignominious end to their summer glory.

I am glad you had a good 6 weeks of tomatoes. I was seeing the start of late blight a few weeks ago on just a few leaves, which I quickly dispatched to the burn pile. I am fortunate that my tomatoes made it throughout the entire season relatively disease free.

I have not found the blight on the potatoes, that are STILL continuing to grow (what is up with that?).