[Small Potatoes]

Hi all,

Some of my outdoor tomatoes are showing discoloration on the leaves. I think it might be blight but in the past I'm certain I've been too trigger happy pulling up plants which just had a bit of botrytis. I'm hoping some of you experts can give me confirmation of what it is please? Pics show top and bottom of leaves - no sign of this patterning on the stems that I could see.

Thanks!

[mumofstig]

If it's blight they'll be a rotting mess stems, fruit and leaves, within a day or 2. If they're still there by then, it could be a soil deficiency - what have you been feeding them with?

[Small Potatoes]

Thanks for the reply mumofstig. I've been feeding my outdoor toms only sporadically with a bit of comfrey tea - perhaps once every three weeks at most (I definitely feel that I've been stingey with those and spoilt the ones in the greenhouse!). So can't rule out a deficiency... I first noticed the patterning a week ago and it's not advanced much since then but we have had very hot and dry weather the last week here on Brum...

I'm now wondering - do I harvest everything and try to ripen at home / make green tomato curry or chance it and leave them be... If it is blight is it possible to ripen the tomatoes off the plant? In my previous (limited) experience with blight it seemed that the green tomatoes (which showed no signs of infection) harvested from blighted plants later developed blight off the plant..

[mumofstig]

Your tomato leaves look like Magnesium deficiency to me - but If it is blight the tomatoes will rot eventually, rarely do any ripen successfully, off the plant - but you can make tomato chutney with them if you harvest them now.
Perhaps it's best to make your chutney and be done with it, as you still have toms in the greenhouse to harvest.

[Small Potatoes]

Thanks for the advice - this morning I went and had a look at the patterning (wet after some rain) to see if there was any change or any of the white blooming the that can apparently accompany blight but there was no change... Decided to take some photos of some leaves and then wait for another 24 hours to see if I can see how quickly it's advancing. I have the vinegar, spice and brown sugar at the ready!

[Small Potatoes]

Thought I'd give an update on this - mumofstig I think you were right on your hunch that it was some deficiency and not blight - the gamble of leaving them be but watching them like a hawk paid off and as a result we've got a freezer shelf of the sweetest roast tomato passatta for the winter months.

Thank you very much!