Rotate crops to break the disease cycle: no potatoes or tomatoes for three years in the same area. Rototill to promote spore breakdown by soil microorganisms. Remove all plant debris at the end of the season. Juliet, Legend, Manyel, Old Brooks, Tommy Toe, etc.). Grow early blight resistant cultivars (e.g. heirlooms), make sure the fruit is disease-free. If collecting your own seed from open pollinated cultivars (e.g. The best strategy to combat early blight is prevention. Spores can be transported over large distances by wind and spread by insects, other animals (including us) and equipment. The disease can over winter as spores on infected plant debris from previous years or be present on the seed to start with. High humidity and moderate temperatures (18-30 C) promote disease development.Īs one might expect from the name, early blight shows up early in the season (July). Once infected, the disease progresses upward to younger growth. Infected leaves eventually turn yellow, wither, die and fall off. The lesions may grow in size, turn entirely black and join together. Circular or angular lesions (up to 1/2 inch in diameter) with dark concentric circles initially form on the lower, older leaves. Leaf lesions are the most common symptom but the fungus may also cause damping off, collar rot, stem cankers and fruit rot. This disease can be present at all stages of plant growth from seedling to harvest. Yields are lower due to reduced plant vigour, sunscald on the fruit and occasionally by infected fruit. But in case you're wondering, it is a fungal disease caused by Alternaria solani, a common tomato and potato foliar disease. I was in a hurry harvesting Swiss chard for supper, so I didn't have time to stop to confirm the diagnosis. One common problem is early blight.Ī couple of weeks ago, I overheard one of my community garden neighbours complaining to a friend that she had noticed it on her tomatoes. However, there are a few challenges along the way. And, for the most part, tomatoes are relatively easy to grow. To me, the taste of summer is fresh tomatoes in a salad, sandwich or soup - I will even eat them whole, straight from the garden.
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