[rogertb]

Hi chaps the dreaded blight took my 6 potted toms this year sadly. What should I do with the dead plants, I’m guessing the shouldn’t be composted and then there’s quite a lot of soil to dispose of, can I keep it in the pots for next year, or do anything with it please ?

[Aunt Sally]

The soil will be fine to put on you beds. 

Blight is spread from infected growing plants. And does not remain in the soil.  It starts from infected stored potatoes usually. And travels on the wind.

[rogertb]

Thank you so much for your reassurance Aunty … x

[snowdrops]

Once composted the blight will be gone so ok to compost,I usually cover them with some other materials though, plus I get my heaps quite hot so they soon decompose.

[rogertb]

Good of you snowdrops, never get my compost that hot but I probably don’t build my heap as well as you. As a supplementary question, I just have a small patch at the end of the garden, I grow toms in 6 pots and last year they were excellent, where did the blight come from, no neighbours with tomatoes  or potatoes could it just be the weather or is it a virus, could I have brought it in somehow ?

[Growster...]

I was wondering about that, Roger!

Bexhill is a in a fabulous area for salty sea winds etc., and I can only assume that if you're on a plot next to lots of others, or even near them - the blight takes no prisoners!

I don't see how you could have brought the virus in! A chum just a few yards down the road from us lost everything too, and we're well inland! I have to inspect our plants every few hours!

Had there been less interference from the EU, we might have had a chance to buy something to alleviate the loss, and maybe more good people would have seen a result from what has been a misreable summer so far! Might be worth investigating alternative methods to control blight next year? I use soluble aspirin and it seems to work.

You certainly sound like an established gardener, and are therefore used to some crop failures, but that happens to all of us some years, and this year is no exception as it's been a rotten one!

[snowdrops]

As I understand it it’s airborne so you only need a draft with it on, plus humidity levels need to be at a certain level for so many hours. I’m sure John has more on it on the main pages
Here you go potato blight

https://www.allotment-garden.org/vegetable/potatoes/potato-blight/

[rogertb]

Thanks growster and snowdrops again, good of you both. I’ll do some more reading.