Thank you for the prompt reply.
Firstly the whopper crop came from a normal gross lisse plant that just went on and on cropping. I had it espaliered along a north facing fence and it was not typical of the size of our crops, it was outstanding, although we always had very good harvests in general.
Can't say that I was particularly hygienic with the garden tools, but didn't need many because we just emptied the bags of mix straight into the pots, and planted them with our hands. However the plant tubs had been used before and not sterilized.
We have tried spots in different locations all over the garden. How do I go about sterilizing with chlorine bleach? Doesn't it alter the ph? We have improved sandy soil and live between a lake and the ocean. Soil ph is always around 7.
Irrigation? Now that's a good thought. We irrigate with a shallow bore (11 feet down) that we have been using for 30 years. I have found that beans that are usually prolific are struggling now. Maybe the bore is going salty. It tastes fresh though, and the gold fish don't have a problem with it, and the waterlilies are like trifids. No other plants appear to be suffering except I just remembered that two potted raphis palms suddenly died for no reason last year. I blamed stray cats using them as toilets.
Anyway, thank you so much for you educated and considered reply. I will have to somehow try to plant a tomato somewhere where I can try town water on it. We have the best tasting town water of anywhere that I have ever been.
