Tomato Diseases and How to Prevent Them
It doesn't matter if you are the neighborhood tomato gardening expert, or the newbie that's just learning the ropes, tomato diseases can sneak up on you and ruin your entire crop. The good news about growing tomatoes is that they are one of the easiest crops to grow for fledgling gardeners, but care must still be taken because there are lots of diseases that can infest the garden. Fortunately, proper preventative measures and good garden maintenance should keep your plants healthy and fruitful. In the event of the appearance of a malady, early detection is the best medicine as far as keeping your plants alive for the remainder of the growing season.
As mentioned above, prevention is the single most important factor in avoiding problems that may arise in your garden. Wintertime is a great time to do some information gathering regarding diseases that are more common in your particular area. Arm yourself with this intel before going out and selecting your seeds for the upcoming season, and pick a tomato type that is more resistant to the tomato diseases that may be prevalent in your region. Many different hybrids of tomato are bred specifically to resist certain pests, fungi, and diseases, and are given a certain letter "code" to designate the particular resistance. If the plant has the code "N" it means that this tomato variety is resistant to nematode damage. Many other different codes exist, and further research is required to find out which tomato is the best for you, and a trip to the nursery is a good first step in the process.
Most gardeners, when asked about the tastiest tomato variety, will surely rave about the delicious heirlooms. Although they are the best tasting, they are not very disease resistant and have a higher tendency to be adversely affected by some type of malady. The reason for this is that they have been bred over the years for taste and not resistance. If the taste of heirloom tomatoes is what you crave, then you have to put a little extra work and preventative maintenance in your gardening plan. You will probably have to have some type of cages or stakes to keep the vines off the ground and make sure your soil is well fortified with nutrients, particularly humus of the organic variety. Making your own hummus from home compost is a great way to keep your soil especially healthy. You should also consider a layer of mulch over the soil to keep moisture in and avoid overwatering.
Another time-tested technique in keeping tomato diseases at bay is by rotating tomato plants with other vegetables every year. If you continue to grow your tomatoes in the same spot every year, the soil will become depleted of the nutrients that are particularly beneficial to tomatoes. By planting something else in their place next year, it will give the soil time to replenish itself with those nutrients and minerals. In addition to the health of the soil, crop rotation also helps keep the soil free of fungus and disease that might attack the tomato plants.
Tomatoes are really one of the easiest crops for the amateur gardener to successfully grow, and certainly one of the tastiest! One caveat though, it is necessary to take precautionary steps, do some preventative maintenance, and water the garden properly to keep tomato diseases out. Make sure the soil is kept moist, but not over-watered, don't water the plant leaves themselves, and keep a layer of mulch over the top of the soil. Another consideration is the type of tomato you choose to plant, preferably one that is resistant to diseases prevalent in your local area. Keep these tips in mind, and you should be two steps ahead of the rest of the gardeners in your neighborhood, and probably grow some of the biggest and tastiest tomatoes around!
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As mentioned above, prevention is the single most important factor in avoiding problems that may arise in your garden. Wintertime is a great time to do some information gathering regarding diseases that are more common in your particular area. Arm yourself with this intel before going out and selecting your seeds for the upcoming season, and pick a tomato type that is more resistant to the tomato diseases that may be prevalent in your region. Many different hybrids of tomato are bred specifically to resist certain pests, fungi, and diseases, and are given a certain letter "code" to designate the particular resistance. If the plant has the code "N" it means that this tomato variety is resistant to nematode damage. Many other different codes exist, and further research is required to find out which tomato is the best for you, and a trip to the nursery is a good first step in the process.
Most gardeners, when asked about the tastiest tomato variety, will surely rave about the delicious heirlooms. Although they are the best tasting, they are not very disease resistant and have a higher tendency to be adversely affected by some type of malady. The reason for this is that they have been bred over the years for taste and not resistance. If the taste of heirloom tomatoes is what you crave, then you have to put a little extra work and preventative maintenance in your gardening plan. You will probably have to have some type of cages or stakes to keep the vines off the ground and make sure your soil is well fortified with nutrients, particularly humus of the organic variety. Making your own hummus from home compost is a great way to keep your soil especially healthy. You should also consider a layer of mulch over the soil to keep moisture in and avoid overwatering.
Another time-tested technique in keeping tomato diseases at bay is by rotating tomato plants with other vegetables every year. If you continue to grow your tomatoes in the same spot every year, the soil will become depleted of the nutrients that are particularly beneficial to tomatoes. By planting something else in their place next year, it will give the soil time to replenish itself with those nutrients and minerals. In addition to the health of the soil, crop rotation also helps keep the soil free of fungus and disease that might attack the tomato plants.
Tomatoes are really one of the easiest crops for the amateur gardener to successfully grow, and certainly one of the tastiest! One caveat though, it is necessary to take precautionary steps, do some preventative maintenance, and water the garden properly to keep tomato diseases out. Make sure the soil is kept moist, but not over-watered, don't water the plant leaves themselves, and keep a layer of mulch over the top of the soil. Another consideration is the type of tomato you choose to plant, preferably one that is resistant to diseases prevalent in your local area. Keep these tips in mind, and you should be two steps ahead of the rest of the gardeners in your neighborhood, and probably grow some of the biggest and tastiest tomatoes around!
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