In article
Michael Evangelista writes:
@drew
Last year's yield was pretty good despite leaf spot. Now that I
know how many ways I brought that on myself,

how did you bring that on?

I did the opposite of just about every "how to prevent leaf spot"
list you can find.

While I've been gardening for decades, I also moved around a lot.
So this is the first garden I've had in the same place for over 3-4
years. Sloppy habits caught up with me. The relevant one is that
I've been lazy about fall cleanup. I'd leave debris on the plant
cages and let winter weather strip it off. That made a great refuge
for spores.

Also, while I mulched the bulk of the garden early, I left the space
right around the tomatoes bare until they got some height. So
infection from the soil was easier.

I wanted the tomatoes to have the best chance, so the prior year's
compost pile went where I was planning to plant them. And the pile
wasn't fully finished when I spread it in.

I also probably had the cages closer together than I should have,
so plant-to-plant spreading was easy. (This was definitely part
of the mildew problem on the cucumbers.)

On top of all that, I mistook the leaf spot for sun scald. So I
didn't start treating it until it was established for weeks.


This time I cleared the cages in the fall, and gave them a pass
with the propane wand for good measure. I will probably flame them
again in the spring, just for paranoia. And I intend on having a
load of mulch on hand when I set the plants out, so spores in the
soil don't get splashed.


--
Drew Lawson And I know there's more to the story
I know I need to see more
I need to see s'more, hear s'more
feel s'more. I gotta be s'more