Disease Complications With Heirloom Tomatoes

greyfurball

Yes, some of us just live in a climate where early blight and/or late blight are our constant companions... it just seems like it doesn't care how much preventative care and on-going seasonal care we do.

And I'm serious when I say I believe I have gave more time and attention (in the last 4 years since I started gardening) to trying to reduce this problem each and every Summer than I have done on any other problem my whole life.

@chimboodle04 and I were having a discussion last week on another thread about this problem. We both have the same type of climate which breeds this disease.

Yesterday I was listening to another 20 year gardener who mentioned she has reduced this problem in her garden by switching from heirloom seeds to a hybrid variety which has been bred specifically to reduce/eliminate this problem.

When you think about this that actually does make sense it might work.

I am always careful about falling into the GMO trap and confirming my seeds/plants etc. are from an organic source but a hybrid is not a gmo seed. The only downfall with this type of seed I know of is seed saving is a waste of time because you will not be able to guarantee the continuation of the line in future generations.

So has anyone else tried hybrids for this reason and have had success?

Monek Marie

@greyfurball

I stay with growing heirlooms. But they can have early and late blight more.

If you have blight, you can not grow tomaotes in that soil for at least 2 years I solarize the soil, change tomato locations and often dig it up and clean the soil just to be sure.

If you change up planting times you can miss one of the blights. But we all can not have a season that allows us to do this, sometimes even a week can make a difference in whether you get blight.

Blight is a soil borne disease, sometimes wind. If you control your soil you can have a better chance of missing blight. Many growers in our area will grow tomatoes in pots with a heavy non soil mulch or grow them in greenhouses. Around here, tomatoes grow in greenhouses do not get blight.

There are also a few heirlooms that do not get blight. I am not sure why. I'll have to see if I can find the varieties.