Oh please!! Somebody tell us what to do about this tomato situation. I am counting on next year to be different so I want to gain all the info I can by then, like do we have to treat the soil with anything from fungicides to minerals, even bleach or miracle grow? Do we toss the cages and other support systems? What about the blue mulch (which is plastic sheeting) - should it be sprayed down with anything? This just can't happen again next year. It really made me sad. I wanted my Cherokee Purples, Krims and other blacks, the mortgage lifters, better boys and potato leafed brandywines. Shall I go on about my yellow varieties and sun gold? I know I haven't suffered the loss some of our fellow gardeners around here have, with hundreds of plants lost, but it's a pain we all are feeling.

I think Clemson Un might have some info on treating this stuff that I haven't looked into yet. How would this affect any type organic practices?

Melon man I would also like to share with you that I devoted a lot of space to both pumpkins and watermelons. Those vines just grow and grow and grow - taking up so much area. I have one halloween pumpkin and one sugar baby. I won't do that again. Nor will I plant bush beans = they have this sour kind of taste that is not even comparable to a half runner and I also love my rattlesnake beans. OK, enough about my adventures in growing!

As far as tomatoes can share my experince which may or may not help. I try to make sure I have some Better boys, Big Beef, Parks Whopper, very disease resistent types. Used mazet this year as my fungicide, it slowed the blight enough to where I did get my crop in with very little lost. Only plant about ten, but I compost and use large cages, get about a 7'plant. But after googleing for a couple hours and reading believe would have kept plant healther if had used manzet early and after bloom set used something with 30% chlorothalonil in it.

Good thing is seasons like this year only come along once every 4-6 years, lets hope anyway. Some other ideals after reading for several hours. It seems moister staying on the plant without a change to dryout as in a normal dryer season along with temps between 50-70 causes this stuff to go wild. Next season am thinking will try a clear canopy over a half dozen plants in a raised bed to see what happens.

Melons did good this year. In a 15' by 30' area using Burpees "Million bucks hybrid" had between 25-30 melons. Average weight being 20-25 lbs, largest weighted in at 37 lbs. Have a few tricks if you get interested. And no I'm not Rhodie?

Me too! On the plastic canopy idea! I have already started thinking about whether I should make a sort of "hoop house" with the rebars and plastic pipe for the frame.

Gosh darn,I will have tomatoes next year. I haven't studied up on what exactly I need to do but by spring I will have the right chemicals. Thanks for the advice about the resistant varieties. I had one roma tomatoe that made it, so I am saving that seed since it seems to be pretty strong.

Do share you punkin' hints. We ended up with six actually, not all of them the jack-o-lanterns they were supposed to be but pretty none the less. My watermelon didn't do so good after all.

Have you ever heard about putting a tablespoon of bleach and one of miracle grow in the hole before planting tomatoes?

I can't wait to start my seeds next spring, hopefully I will get them in the ground earlier though.

Don't know about SW VA, but here the Amish paste tomato held up better than the hybrids.

Spaced tomatoes wider**on beds where toms have grown for 5+ years. Still have a few ripening, esp. on late planted.

I plan to use aerated compost tea on the tomatoes again next year. Seemed to help before. I would try milk and baking soda before paying high price of chemicals that have little effect.

Can't believe that bleach and "miracle" grow could do any more harm that epsom salts. I set plants in compost in a hole deep enough to cover all but the top 2 or 3 leaves.

Try a product called Daconil. I'm not sure if you can get just this chemical or if it is mixed w/ other things. I've not tried it but my neighbor just now told me it was the best thing he had ever used. He sprayed [depending on the weather] every two weeks.

You can be assured I'm going to use it next year.

If you Google it I'm sure you can find it.

Regards,

Tom