[Lulu]

This year I would like to put some tomatoes on my allotment.  I usually keep them in my greenhouse because at my house when I put them in my garden they got blight .  My allotment neighbour seemed to do all right with his last year.

I am growing some 'Roma' variety  and a beef tomato (forgotten which variety).  My question is do I need to do anything different ? What is the secret to growing tomatoes outside of the greenhouse??  I will be planting them with Marigolds. 

Just in case some of the Roma will in the greenhouse.

[Trillium]

I don't think there's anything you can do different as blight will also hit greenhouse toms. If it comes around, it comes, nothing stops it. All you can do is try to keep your toms from stress due to irregular watering and feeding (not that this guarantees they'll escape).

[Carrotcake]

I suffered quite badly from Blossom End Rot last year, so definitely make sure they get enough regular watering to prevent it.

[Trillium]

A good heavy straw mulch applied right after a heavy rain will help keep soil moisture more even carrotcake. You wouldn't get the slug problem the UK does as your climate is more like mine.

[pink aubergine]

The spores of tomato and potato blight are always in the air and only take a few factors to start them off. Its called a Mills or Smith period and and its the relationship between the amount to rain and humitity and temp to trigger it.
Basically if you have prelonged drizzle or rain all day with high humidity, you may have the conditions, see
http://www.blightwatch.co.uk/content/bw-Smith.asp

You will exacerbate the problem if you dont get rid of all your blight stuff off your plot immediately, the spores stick around and are easily  triggered off next year!

[Carrotcake]

Thanks Trillium.

Would a grass cutting mulch do the same thing? I have done this with my raspberries following a tip from this forum and have plenty where that came from!

[Paul Plots]

Here's wishing you the best of luck with outside toms. After 3 years of complete loss due to blight and last year not a single outside tomato picked I'm going to put just two outside - the rest under glass as they seem to be less at risk..I hope.

[cooperman]

hmmm outside Toms generally go down with blight - I know I have always planted outside  for years, its a lottery (mind you  I have never had blight on my greenhouse toms *touch wood!!*)  I gues out of the last 5 years 2 years have been ok.  However, I am now going to spray my outside toms with a bordeaux mixture and see how this helps....

will keep you posted

[blackbob]

hmmm outside Toms generally go down with blight - I know I have always planted outside  for years, its a lottery (mind you  I have never had blight on my greenhouse toms *touch wood!!*)  I gues out of the last 5 years 2 years have been ok.  However, I am now going to spray my outside toms with a bordeaux mixture and see how this helps....

will keep you posted

lost loads with blight outdoors,but undercover not too bad
.

[Trillium]

Thanks Trillium.

Would a grass cutting mulch do the same thing? I have done this with my raspberries following a tip from this forum and have plenty where that came from!

Yes, that would work nicely but let it dry out a bit first or you could end up with something slimey. I leave mine spread on the ground for a day or 2 and then take it up for mulching.

[Carrotcake]

Thanks again. You're a star 

[lacewing]

Last year I tried blight risistant tomatoes out on the plot and had a full harvest. They did get a few brown patches on the stems only, late in the season, but by then I had picked most of the tomatoes, and the blight never did reach the remainder. I will do the same this year and hopefully have the same result. Happy gardening!

[galen]

Last year I tried blight risistant tomatoes out on the plot and had a full harvest. They did get a few brown patches on the stems only, late in the season, but by then I had picked most of the tomatoes, and the blight never did reach the remainder. I will do the same this year and hopefully have the same result. Happy gardening!

Lacewing : Could I ask what varieties you grew ?

[madcat]

I grew Gardeners Delight, Roma and San Marzano (?not sure how you spell that) on the plot last year and got a great crop - only one on the site. BUT ....  the spraying ritual was very very thorough, all blighted leaves and stems picked off and taken off plot, the rest of the leaves kept thinned so there was plenty of air movement.  No let up.

The lessons learnt though were a) that way of doing things is continual, detailed work and b) you can't control what your neighbours do.  Our next door neighbour left his blighted potato tops on his plot for weeks.  (His theory is that the tomatoes are the cause of the blight - his dad never suffered from blight and they didn't have tomatoes    )  This year they are staying at home in pots where we have slightly more control - but oh, I'm dreading the daily watering round!   

[chicken]

I grew toms for the first time last year. I grew them at home, outside and moved them to the allotment when i aquired it. I think it was around august. Most others had got blight by then, but mine remained fine, and i got a good crop from them.

This year, i have got some plants at home some straight in grow bags and others in grow bags using the bottomless pot method, and i have put 5 plant in the allotment already, undercover - and so far they are all thriving. I will harden them all off next month, and then let them out! I hope i dont get blight, but thats why ive hedged my bets and done them at home too - i didnt get the problem at home last year so hope not to this year either. I got the most imense satisfaction from growing tomatos, and cant wait to see them fruiting again!