In article t,
"Daniel B. Martin" wrote:

I've always accepted blight as inevitable, so I plant plenty of tomato
seedlings anticipating attrition. Cultivars are chosen for their
disease resistance. This year they were Celebrity, 4th of July, Early
Girl, Mountain Pride, and Lillian's Yellow.

This past week, after the heavy rains brought by hurricane Ernesto,
almost all of my tomato plants died suddenly. Limp leaves, then brown
dry leaves, then a dead plant.

When the dead plants were pulled they had a smaller root structure than
normal. What might account for that? Was lack of roots a symptom or
a cause of death?

I see no vole tunnels. My garden has always had crickets but this year
they are more numerous than ever. Do crickets harm tomato roots?

We always read about crop rotation. My garden is 35'x35' and I rotate
as much as practical within that space. With tomatoes, eggplant, and
sweet peppers being in the same family, is effective crop rotation
possible in a small garden?


I've been told that nematodes can become a problem in soil where
tomatoes are grown year after year. Your thought to crop rotation is a
good one, as is your point about the fact that the plants are in the
same family perhaps making rotation ineffective.

Sorry I'm not more helpful. I had to give up on growing tomatoes because
I get too much shade. Now I just get mine from the Farmer's Market.
--
Philip Semanchuk
email: first name @ last name.com