Just to note that the area in the garden which was used to grow tomatoes
last year and was neglected this year is a mass of self sown tomato plants
which are now producing the first ripe tomatoes.
So presumably (given the severe winter we had) they could go on self seeding
for several years.
Not that they will be given the chance, however.

Any sign of the dreaded blight yet?
That is what normally finishes off my outdoor tomatoes.

Cheers

Dave R

--
No plan survives contact with the enemy.
[Not even bunny]

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

David WE Roberts wrote:
Any sign of the dreaded blight yet?

In both our greenhouses and all over everyone else's allotments, but my
allotment seems to be in a tiny little blightless corner atm! (touch wood)

It's been a very blighty year this year due to the August damp, apparently

"David WE Roberts" wrote ...

Just to note that the area in the garden which was used to grow tomatoes
last year and was neglected this year is a mass of self sown tomato plants
which are now producing the first ripe tomatoes.
So presumably (given the severe winter we had) they could go on self
seeding for several years.
Not that they will be given the chance, however.

Any sign of the dreaded blight yet?
That is what normally finishes off my outdoor tomatoes.


Yes, blight is alive and well on our allotment site. Quite a few of the"new"
gardeners have lost their whole crop as most won't spray with anything
chemical. Ours are OK, sprayed with Bordeaux Mixture twice so far and we
grow blight resistant varieties only anyway.

-- Regards
Bob Hobden
Posting to this Newsgroup
from the W.of London. UK

On Thu, 25 Aug 2011 12:51:53 +0100, "Bob Hobden"
wrote:

"David WE Roberts" wrote ...
[...]
Any sign of the dreaded blight yet?
That is what normally finishes off my outdoor tomatoes.


Yes, blight is alive and well on our allotment site. Quite a few of the"new"
gardeners have lost their whole crop as most won't spray with anything
chemical. Ours are OK, sprayed with Bordeaux Mixture twice so far and we
grow blight resistant varieties only anyway.

Should somebody tell these enthusiasts that Bordeaux mixture is
approved for organic crops? Or am I wrong?

--
Mike.

"Mike Lyle" wrote ...

"Bob Hobden" wrote:

"David WE Roberts" wrote ...
[...]
Any sign of the dreaded blight yet?
That is what normally finishes off my outdoor tomatoes.


Yes, blight is alive and well on our allotment site. Quite a few of
the"new"
gardeners have lost their whole crop as most won't spray with anything
chemical. Ours are OK, sprayed with Bordeaux Mixture twice so far and we
grow blight resistant varieties only anyway.

Should somebody tell these enthusiasts that Bordeaux mixture is
approved for organic crops? Or am I wrong?


I would not dream of telling them anything, however I have tried to persuade
them that it is the only way these days to get a crop outside but to no
avail, it's chemical and therefor bad and they would rather lose a crop than
use such an evil thing.
Similar problem with bindweed, despite it gradually taking over some plots
the "new" gardeners refuse to spray it with Glyphosate, against their
principles they say, I suppose it will be left to the person that takes over
once they give up after they have made it impossible to garden for
themselves.
Rant over.

-- Regards
Bob Hobden
Posting to this Newsgroup
from the W.of London. UK

On 25/08/2011 22:56, Bob Hobden wrote:
"Mike Lyle" wrote ...

"Bob Hobden" wrote:

"David WE Roberts" wrote ...
[...]
Any sign of the dreaded blight yet?
That is what normally finishes off my outdoor tomatoes.


Yes, blight is alive and well on our allotment site. Quite a few of
the"new"
gardeners have lost their whole crop as most won't spray with anything
chemical. Ours are OK, sprayed with Bordeaux Mixture twice so far and we
grow blight resistant varieties only anyway.

Should somebody tell these enthusiasts that Bordeaux mixture is
approved for organic crops? Or am I wrong?


I would not dream of telling them anything, however I have tried to
persuade them that it is the only way these days to get a crop outside
but to no avail, it's chemical and therefor bad and they would rather
lose a crop than use such an evil thing.

Tell them that everything is made of chemicals! Including humans!!

Of the more interesting salad vegetables lettuce breaks the rule that if
its sap is milky latex then it isn't safe to eat. And you should warn
them that all parts of the tomato plant and potato plant that are not
the fruit or tubers are *TOXIC*. Solanaceae is pretty unforgiving if you
eat the wrong bits because of all the *CHEMICALS* in them.

Similar problem with bindweed, despite it gradually taking over some
plots the "new" gardeners refuse to spray it with Glyphosate, against
their principles they say, I suppose it will be left to the person that
takes over once they give up after they have made it impossible to
garden for themselves.

Arm yourself with the MSDS for caffeine and glyphosate and explain to
them that whilst they may be terrified by "all chemicals" some are a lot
more dangerous than others. Glyphosate is incredibly benign in animals
considering how lethal it is to green plants. The wetting agent in
commercial formulations is the actual risk to health - although to be
injured you practically have to eat sandwiches soaked in the
agricultural grade concentrate (some prats in the USA did).

Rant over.

I understand your frustration. Organic (TM) produce is over packaged
overpriced extremely high margin supermarket food for the worried well.

Minimum inputs is the rational choice for any allotment gardener and for
agriculture too. There is no point in wearing a hair shirt just to
satisfy the GM pundits at the Henry Doublespeak association.

Regards,
Martin Brown

Bob Hobden wrote:
Similar problem with bindweed, despite it gradually taking over some plots
the "new" gardeners refuse to spray it with Glyphosate, against their
principles they say, I suppose it will be left to the person that takes over
once they give up after they have made it impossible to garden for
themselves.
Rant over.

I suppose you'll have to lump me in as a "new" gardener, then, since I don't
do either.

Vicky wrote...

Bob Hobden wrote:
Similar problem with bindweed, despite it gradually taking over some
plots
the "new" gardeners refuse to spray it with Glyphosate, against their
principles they say, I suppose it will be left to the person that takes
over
once they give up after they have made it impossible to garden for
themselves.
Rant over.

I suppose you'll have to lump me in as a "new" gardener, then, since I
don't
do either.

I don't have any problem with an experienced gardener taking the "organic"
route because they are, presumably, doing it with the full knowledge of how
much extra effort it will take and what extra crop losses they will incur.
What frustrates me are new gardeners trying to go "organic" straight away
when they don't make the time to garden properly anyway, and their plots
(and more annoyingly, neighbours) then have problems which could be sorted
out quickly at minimum effort.

From the Soil Association web site.....
"There are four pesticides which organic farmers are allowed to use as
a very last resort to save their crop. These are copper, derris, sulphur
and soft soap."

Bit of a silly comment as with Blight by the time your toms have it it's too
late to save the crop with copper! But I suppose no farmers in the UK grow
toms outside.

Regarding Glyphosate, I have not seen any research on how it is used,
usually as a one off spot treatment, on an allotment to kill pernicious
weeds. All research I have read is regarding the continued and constant
spraying of crop fields and the problems that then occur, a totally
different unrelated type of use entirely.

-- Regards
Bob Hobden
Posting to this Newsgroup
from the W.of London. UK

Bob Hobden wrote:
Regarding Glyphosate, I have not seen any research on how it is used,
usually as a one off spot treatment, on an allotment to kill pernicious
weeds. All research I have read is regarding the continued and constant
spraying of crop fields and the problems that then occur, a totally
different unrelated type of use entirely.

I work loosely on the basis "if I wouldn't want to eat it, I dont' want it
on my food crops". Althuogh I do give allowance for not really wanting a
chicken manure pellet sandwich.

Vicky wrote ...

Bob Hobden wrote:
Regarding Glyphosate, I have not seen any research on how it is used,
usually as a one off spot treatment, on an allotment to kill pernicious
weeds. All research I have read is regarding the continued and constant
spraying of crop fields and the problems that then occur, a totally
different unrelated type of use entirely.

I work loosely on the basis "if I wouldn't want to eat it, I dont' want it
on my food crops". Althuogh I do give allowance for not really wanting a
chicken manure pellet sandwich.

But you don't spray it on your food crops you spray it on the perennial
weeds. :-)

-- Regards
Bob Hobden
Posting to this Newsgroup
from the W.of London. UK

Bob Hobden wrote:
I work loosely on the basis "if I wouldn't want to eat it, I dont' want it
on my food crops". Althuogh I do give allowance for not really wanting a
chicken manure pellet sandwich.
But you don't spray it on your food crops you spray it on the perennial
weeds. :-)

You have no idea how clumsy people in this house/allotment area are.
Nick would have a Bright Idea, and it would involve coating the entire
allotment in Something Bad. Or sellotape. Or maybe sellotaping the Bad
Stuff in Strategic Positions.

Short end of a high-rise wedge.

On Aug 26, 12:46*pm, wrote:
Bob Hobden wrote:
I work loosely on the basis "if I wouldn't want to eat it, I dont' want it
on my food crops". *Althuogh I do give allowance for not really wanting a
chicken manure pellet sandwich.
But you don't spray it on your food crops you spray it on the perennial
weeds. :-)

You have no idea how clumsy people in this house/allotment area are.
Nick would have a Bright Idea, and it would involve coating the entire
allotment in Something Bad. *Or sellotape. *Or maybe sellotaping the Bad
Stuff in Strategic Positions.

Short end of a high-rise wedge.

I wonder if anyone's still growing 1950s style. My 50s gardening book
says (I dont remeber the exact phrasing) to put a mercury compound
down in the rows with the seeds, and spray later with DDT.


NT