Tomatoes are quite easy to grow and known for being low-maintenance, but gardeners need to keep a close eye on their leaves. April is known for its warm yet wet weather, which creates the perfect conditions for a very destructive disease called blight.
Blight spreads through fungal spores travelling in water and is very hard to control once it makes its way into a garden, as it spreads rapidly. It first begins at the bottom of plants, which will cause the leaves to turn spotty, brown and shrivelled, so tomatoes cannot produce much energy.
A plant with weak leaves will not be able to photosynthesise and will have stunted growth that is unlikely to produce any fruit.
If a tomato plant does manage to grow any fruit, then it will rot on the stem and become inedible once the disease works its way up the plant.
How to protect tomatoes from blight in spring
Early blight is a common problem at this time of year, but gardeners do not need to worry, as a simple way to stop this disease is to not let too much moisture sit stagnant around the plant.
Tomatoes need plenty of space to grow, as good airflow helps their leaves dry more quickly after it has rained. Make sure each plant has enough room and full sun exposure, as tomatoes growing in the shade are more likely to stay damp, which encourages disease.
It is important to always water tomatoes as close to the soil as possible around the base of the plant, as watering overhead will create wet leaves and create the ideal conditions for spores to fester.
Bob Wildfong, a gardener from Seeds of Diversity has shared that the best defence against blight is to prevent rain from getting spores near your plant by mulching tomatoes properly.
He said: “That splash zone is where infected soil will infect your tomato plants. Fortunately, a good mulch will completely prevent the soil from splashing.
“Whether you use straw, leaf mulch, newspaper, horticultural plastic, or fabric, any good barrier on the ground around your tomato plants will keep the soil from splashing up.”
Mulching is a simple gardening method of covering plants with degradable material that will eventually break down into the soil to improve fertility and feed the plant.
Not only does mulching create a protective barrier around tomatoes, but it also prevents the soil from becoming too soggy, so spores do not have a chance to thrive.
It also regulates soil temperature and moisture, reducing stress on the plant and lowering humidity levels around the foliage.
This not only helps protect tomatoes from blight, but the nutrients from the mulch will help grow a healthy plant that is also more naturally resistant to disease.
However, be careful not to mulch tomatoes too soon after planting them as mulching too early can slow their growth and reduce the amount of fruit they produce.
Bob explained: “Just a word of warning about mulching tomatoes, though. While mulch helps prevent blight, helps retain moisture, and keeps weeds down, it also cools the soil.
“If you mulch tomatoes in spring, at the same time you plant them, the cool soil will slow their growth and make them ripen late.”
Make sure to leave tomato seedlings at least a month before mulching them to allow the soil to warm up, and then cover them with straw, newspaper or any dry material once they have been established.
If you mulch at the right time in spring, then your tomatoes will be protected to grow strong and healthy, so they produce plump red fruit in the summer.
