On Fri, 09 Jun 2006 13:19:05 -0500, Pat Kiewicz wrote:

General Schvantzkoph said:

I've just put in a new vegetable garden. After I planted the strawberries
I noticed that the container said not to plant them where tomatoes have
been grown within the last three years. Why can't you plant strawberries
on the same land as tomatoes? How far apart do they have to be?

It cautioned against because strawberries can be devestated by verticillium
wilt, which also infects tomatoes. (And, since many modern varieties
of tomatoes were selected to resist/tolerate verticillium wilt, it may be
possible to have it in your soil without having seen really obvious signs in.)

Verticillium wilt of strawberry:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/3000/3012.html

Quoting:

"The fungus can be introduced into uninfested soil on seed, tools and farm
machinery, and in the soil and roots of transplants."

"Do not plant susceptible strawberry cultivars in soil where tomato,
peppers, potato, eggplant, melons, okra, mint, brambles, stone fruits,
chrysanthemums, rose or related susceptible crops have grown for the
past five years."

Thanks, I'll move them to the other edge of the garden. I've let this land
lay fallow for 20 years so the soil should be clean at them moment,
however I've put in several dozen tomato plants as well as some peppers,
basil, oregano and rosemary (it's a spaghetti sauce garden). I'll move the
strawberries about 10 feet.