What to do with a blighted tomato
 

This summer was my first foray into tomato growing. I planted one
sweet bite and two cherry sweet bite plants from the nursery in tubs
on the patio. Tubs are ex recycling containers around 50cm by 25cm by
30cm deep. I filled them with tomato mix from the nursery and also
planted parsley, basil and a marigold in each tub. Probably too much
overboard, but I'm a virgo :-)

The plants went gangbusters for a while and had loads of fruit. Then I
noticed that some of the leaves on the cherry ones were curling up
and going brown. there were brown spots on the leaves. It looked
almost like early blight or septoria leaf spot, but none of the images
on the web are really close matches. The toms look a bit diseased.

Is it OK to dump the plants into the garden waste bin or should they
go into the rubbish bin?
Is it OK to plant somethihng else in the tubs or do I need to get rid
of all the dirt?

The standard sweet bite didn't get the same leaf spots, but the leaves
gradually went brown and the plant stopped growing and producing
fruit. The flowers stopped budding and then they dried up.

Too much sun? One of my neighbours has shade cloth over his tomato
bed.

Regards,
Richard.
--
Regards.
Richard.

What to do with a blighted tomato
 

Richard Sherratt wrote:
This summer was my first foray into tomato growing. I planted one
sweet bite and two cherry sweet bite plants from the nursery in tubs
on the patio. Tubs are ex recycling containers around 50cm by 25cm by
30cm deep. I filled them with tomato mix from the nursery and also
planted parsley, basil and a marigold in each tub. Probably too much
overboard, but I'm a virgo :-)

The plants went gangbusters for a while and had loads of fruit. Then I
noticed that some of the leaves on the cherry ones were curling up
and going brown. there were brown spots on the leaves. It looked
almost like early blight or septoria leaf spot, but none of the images
on the web are really close matches. The toms look a bit diseased.

Is it OK to dump the plants into the garden waste bin or should they
go into the rubbish bin?
Is it OK to plant somethihng else in the tubs or do I need to get rid
of all the dirt?

It depends on what the problem is.


The standard sweet bite didn't get the same leaf spots, but the leaves
gradually went brown and the plant stopped growing and producing
fruit. The flowers stopped budding and then they dried up.

Too much sun? One of my neighbours has shade cloth over his tomato
bed.


Sun scald will produce pale bleached spots on the fruit but not harm the
leaves so it is not (only) that.

Where are you? I am on the East coast and during La Nina summers (like this
one) we get many days of cloud drizzle and humidity, this produces many
fungal diseases. It is hard to tell them apart.

David

What to do with a blighted tomato
 

On Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:00:51 +1100, "David Hare-Scott"
wrote:

I am on the East coast and during La Nina summers (like this
one)

You might be having a La Nina summer up there, here in Tas it's most
definitely El Nino... unlike last year.

What to do with a blighted tomato
 

Richard Sherratt wrote:

Is it OK to dump the plants into the garden waste bin or should they
go into the rubbish bin?

Probably rubbish. Really depeds on what happens to te contents of garden
waste in your locality. Mst goes into landscaping fill here.

Is it OK to plant somethihng else in the tubs or do I need to get rid
of all the dirt?

Try something other than tomatoes.

What to do with a blighted tomato
 

On Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:00:51 +1100, "David Hare-Scott"
wrote:

snip

Where are you? I am on the East coast and during La Nina summers (like this
one) we get many days of cloud drizzle and humidity, this produces many
fungal diseases. It is hard to tell them apart.

I'm in Melbourne.

I forgot to mention that they also got white fly.

Richard.
--
Regards.
Richard.

What to do with a blighted tomato
 

On Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:28:16 +1100, terryc
wrote:

Richard Sherratt wrote:

Is it OK to dump the plants into the garden waste bin or should they
go into the rubbish bin?

Probably rubbish. Really depeds on what happens to te contents of garden
waste in your locality. Mst goes into landscaping fill here.

I'm not sure what they do with it. Probably best to be safe and stick
it in the rubbish.

Is it OK to plant somethihng else in the tubs or do I need to get rid
of all the dirt?

Try something other than tomatoes.

Will do. Thanks.


--
Regards.
Richard.

What to do with a blighted tomato
 

On Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:53:14 +1100, Richard Sherratt
wrote:

This summer was my first foray into tomato growing. I planted one
sweet bite and two cherry sweet bite plants from the nursery in tubs
on the patio. Tubs are ex recycling containers around 50cm by 25cm by
30cm deep. I filled them with tomato mix from the nursery and also
planted parsley, basil and a marigold in each tub. Probably too much
overboard, but I'm a virgo :-)

The plants went gangbusters for a while and had loads of fruit. Then I
noticed that some of the leaves on the cherry ones were curling up
and going brown. there were brown spots on the leaves. It looked
almost like early blight or septoria leaf spot, but none of the images
on the web are really close matches. The toms look a bit diseased.

Is it OK to dump the plants into the garden waste bin or should they
go into the rubbish bin?
Is it OK to plant somethihng else in the tubs or do I need to get rid
of all the dirt?

The standard sweet bite didn't get the same leaf spots, but the leaves
gradually went brown and the plant stopped growing and producing
fruit. The flowers stopped budding and then they dried up.

Too much sun? One of my neighbours has shade cloth over his tomato
bed.

Tomatoes have had a tough time this season with all of the rain. The use of tomato dust
was mandatory if you wanted a decent crop.

Bin the plants and use the soil for something else other than tomatoes or related plants
(like potatoes, capsicum, chilli and eggplant) or you will spread the problems. I also
like to spray old soil with Yates Anti Rot and some Confidor or Lebaycid prior to re-use.