Letters To The Editor

Dealing With Blight?

Here’s the problem: Planted 6 or so varieties of tomatoes and for the last 4 years me and all my close neighbors have suffered and dealt with blight, fungus or whatever it’s called. The result is ripping out plants, harvesting little more than a handful of maters–this year it attacked my corn. I’ve used fungus control, lime, no help. This year bought raised bed gardens tilled NEW ground and filled with NEW compost, garden soil, etc–Harvested enough tomatoes for 2 pints of stewed tomatoes. Is it this Tennessee soil? I can without trying grow the most colorful mushrooms ever–they pop up everywhere–too much fungus in soil??? Corn was placed in yet another ares of NEW soil, compost, garden soil, etc and it too got a heavy dose of fungus.

Too much rain?

I’m lost!!

got any ideas?

Mary

 

Dear Mary,

I’m so sorry you’re having such problems. I’ve actually eaten lots of tomatoes grown in Tennessee soil this year, and was told it was a good crop. Obviously, though, that’s not the case everywhere in your state.

I did a bit of research on tomato-growing in Tennessee and found a couple of links where your specific problem is discussed:

https://utextension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/sp370-c.pdf

https://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tngard/msg0104323220354.html

Also, as you likely know Off The Grid News has a ton of articles on tomato-growing. Here are a few that might help:

How to rid your tomato plants of common problems

5 tips before you build a raised garden bed

The ultimate guide to raised garden beds

Hope this helps!

The Editor