And what should we spray to prevent it?

CapeCodGardene,
Glad I could help

TwinLakesChef,
Well, for Late Blight there's not much you can do except good air circulation and prayers for good weather. Last year, I do admit to talking to the lake effect clouds to not come my way . If you do see Late Blight on a plant, bag and remove the plant immediately. If caught early, some plants can possibly be saved. Now, thankfully, Late Blight isn't as common of a disease. You really do need long periods of cool damp weather for it to happen. Most summers are not like that.
For Early Blight, again good air circulation is important. Being organic, I used copper fungicide. Copper is still fairly toxic, so I try to use it only when needed. There are chemical fungicides for Early Blight like Daconil. I'm sure there are others available at garden center. Many people will tell you to only water from the bottom also, but I find that sort of silly since rain comes down and you can't prevent that. Watering early in the day is recommended instead of the evening because excess moisture would dry up during the day. Again, it rains here at night more than the day so I don't bother. In another area, it might work better. But good fall clean up is important because of overwintering spores.
Hope that helps,
Remy

Thanks Remy,

I have Daconil here and will try it. I DON"T want any kind of blight!

if you get the Daconil from the garden stores be aware that the spray is thick . Daconil needs to be applied with a swipe of a spray like motion. A thin spray . I didn't have much success with it last year. Due to that. DH is a agronomist and uses it often on grass. To bad i didn't ask him before i used the spray.

Yes, it is thick. 330 tomatoes have moved from the seed pans and into 3 oz cups. Greenhouse is finally set up. Last night it was warm enough I didn't have to haul them back into the garage for the night.

i hear you on hauling plants back and forth. I do about 200 a day if the nights get to cold. uhg.
wow 330 tomatos , that is a lot of tom's

I brought them in last night and again tonight. They really like heat so I baby them. It's worth it!

today i put them out in the GH and i m hoping for the best.
just a light frost tonight .
windy as all get out today almost blew away like the Wizard of Oz yikes

Favorites: Cherokee Purple, Black Krim, German Pink, Rutgers, but like any true tomatoholic, I'll be happy with any fresh, homegrown summer tomato! Oh, yum, I can't wait to have that tomato juice dripping down my arm as I eat my first sandwich over the kitchen sink! Sigh.

i agree Hemophobic i will eat any tomato as long as its not from a grocery store LOL
i did Hillbilly and its not looking so good but my Mariannes Peace is rockin !!

Arlene, how are your 'maters doing? I'm curious; where do you grow them--in Iowa or in California? I grew up in So. Cal. and I know the city of Orange well. Talk about a great climate for growing. I have a dear friend there who taunts me by e-mailing photos of his tomatoes in early spring all through into well in the fall!

my hillbilly isn't doing to well.
i m bummed
I agree i miss Ca climate sometimes when it comes to gardening

The Ca tomatoes were put in the ground the last week of March with clear water bottles around them to keep them warm. I will be going there Thur for DGD's college graduation so I'll be taking pictures.

I just got back from the Farm here in Iowa where we planted about 80 plants this afternoon plus 4 or 5 types of green beans. That's about a week earlier than we normally do. But they were so ready, I didn't want to leave them for a neighbor to babysit while we are gone. They also have those clear water bottles around them.

It keeps them warm, keeps the deer from "steppping" on them and I don't know if rabbits like tomatoes but they can't get to them either. It also protects them from the high winds we can get. I didn't take a picture today but will do it when I return next Wed.

I had not fertilized them at all but gave them all some dilute fish emulsion about a week ago; the Iowa R-U was held here over the week end so the other 210 were given away there as well as a batch which will be taken to the Wisconsin R-U by marie.

Whew . . glad they have all gone to other homes. The last four days it has warmed up here and it became daunting to keep them watered.

I'll keep you posted. Here's hoping for a great tomato year for us all!

Kellogs Breakfast I've grown them to over 2 pounds each, great taste.

2#? I'm growin' that one this year so I'll watch for it. I have never tasted it before.

You don't get many fruits per plant but the ones you do get are huge.

I was just at the farm and see I have two plants of that . . it should help if it doesn't put on many. It's lookin' good right now.

Haven't been over on this thread for almost a full month. Well things are shaping up.

Picture #1 sent from a cell phone to show how the tomatoes in Orange, Ca are doing(set out last week of March- Iowa one month later)
Picture #2 set out the Iowa tomatoes at the farm on May 28th & this picture was taken one week later.
Picture #3 just taken on Friday, June 25th at the farm. Most are starting to bloom & some are forming little tomatoes.



In comparing picture #1(CA) to #3(IA) it actually looks like Iowa is ahead of CA. The temperatures in CA have mostly been in the seventies and Iowa is having a hotter summer. Since May 15th it's been consistently in the 80's every day and sometimes up to 90. Once in a while it will drop to a high of 70's for a few days. Couple that with lots of rain and my prediction will be that Iowa will put on tomatoes before CA.

Out there is in-ground city water sprinklers where we get REAL rain in Iowa. Eventually it will be a little hotter in CA so the race is on . . first real tomato wins.

This is very interesting, Arlene. Do keep us posted!

I will Emily. I just got kinda lax. Friday we were weeding . . 2 people . . three hours and it really looks good now.

Normally we don't get the heat and rain here in Iowa that CA gets. It has been the reverse this year. If the summer holds . . . I have high expectations for the tomatoes.

Of course, every storm that goes through predicting golf ball size hail makes me hold my breathe but so far so good.

I am for that first BLT!