[kathrose]

I have had tomatoes in my little plastic greenhouse and I think I may have over watered.  The leaves have gone black and shriveled up, some of the stems have gone rotten and on the stem there are clumps of root, just like the root you get on Ivy.  I have two variety in there one is a small tom and the other a larger one, sorry I dont know the names.  The cucumbers that are in the same place have done wonderful.  The smaller tomato plants I had loads of and put some in the garden rather than waste them and they have done great too, like bunches of grapes only bigger.

Are my problems due to over watering??

[JayG]

This is a classic case where a picture would paint a thousand words, but it does sound as if you have got some sort of fungal infection going on in there - whether it's blight, botrytis, or something else, dying, blackened leaves are not good news I'm afraid. The "ivy root clumps" could be the spore-producing structures of a fungus, although this is all pure guesswork without a picture.

Overwatering tomatoes is obviously not a good idea, particularly if it has resulted in the leaves and the inside of the greenhouse remaining wet for long periods of time.

[kathrose]

I have just cut off all the leaves and I will try to get a photo on here, thank you for your reply.

[kathrose]

Here are three pics I have just taken.

[seaside]

Looks like classic botrytis to me. Too much moisture, not enough air flow is the normal cause.
I'm not sure about the "root clumps" though... that wouldn't be botrytis.

[kathrose]

What you have said would see about right.  It is in a small plastic greenhouse, every morning it is like a rain forest in there.  I close the door every night, I water at night.  Thankfully so far my cucumbers are fine.  Thank you.

[JayG]

Looks like botrytris to me too, although I suppose it's possible that blight killed the plants first and now botrytis has taken over.
Either way get them in the rubbish bin ASAP - I left my spent tomato plants in situ for far too long last year after they had finished and was rewarded with lungfuls of botrytis spores when I finally did get round to getting rid of them - not nice! 

The roots look as if the conditions have possibly encouraged the tomato stems to grow aerial roots even without soil - never seen that before, but if I'm right it could be an indication of just how wet it was in there (if I'm wrong I'll just blame the slightly out of focus pics!  )

[kathrose]

As I said before each morning it was like being in a rain forest.  I had way too many tomato plants in there as I didnt want to waste them, I had put lots in the garden and they are doing great.  A lesson well learned here.  I have had a fire tonight and that is where they have gone.  Do you think my cucumbers will be ok?

[JayG]

Do you think my cucumbers will be ok?

I couldn't possibly comment I'm afraid - although I have no trouble with outdoor ridge cucumbers my best effort at greenhouse cucumbers so far has been to keep Passandra more alive than dead this summer (but no cukes!)

In theory cukes like more humidity than tomatoes so if they are OK now they should continue in the same vein, although it is starting to get quite late in the season now............

[kathrose]

I have had lots of cukes and there are still lots on there, I have been picking as I want them.  Do yo know whysome have a lot of seeds? 

Can you tell I am very new to growing,,lol,??

[JayG]

2 possible reasons that I can think of:

1) (from experience!) As with courgettes, the seeds are of negligible size when the fruits are picked small, but become larger and therefore more noticeable as they get bigger (and less edible.)

2) (in theory! ) An all-female variety shouldn't have seeds at all but if it's been accidentally pollinated by another cuke (or produced some male flowers itself "by mistake") it will have seeds, and will possibly taste bitter too.

[kathrose]

Then I rekon number1.  They have tasted lovely. Hubs is not English and he loves small cucumbers just like home, he thinks they are ok so I guess I did ok with them.  Just the tomatoes I killed.

Thank you for taking time to reply to me.

[kathrose]

Ok, here I go again.  The compost that these tomatoes was grown in, what it the best way to dispose of it.  If I put it in the compost heap will it infect that too.

[Nobbie]

Ok, here I go again.  The compost that these tomatoes was grown in, what it the best way to dispose of it.  If I put it in the compost heap will it infect that too.

The plants and compost will be fine on the compost heap. The spores are all around anyway and just wait until the right conditions occur such as in your greenhouse.

[kathrose]

Thanks Nobbie