Compost from tomatoes with blight

Hello everyone. Hope you can help me.

Our tomatoes have been an absolute disaster this year. I grow then in large tubs, 3 plants per tub in a sheltered sunny spot in the garden. They were decimated by blight and i have destroyed them. We usually taken the used compost up to our allottment and spread it about up there. Can I still do this and if so is there anything I must do before hand to get rid of the blight.

I look forward to hearing from anyone with some ideas on this as otherwise I have no idea what to do with 4 tubs of used compost with blight!

Thanks

 

Hi Jill,Welcome to the forum.I see you are from Northamptonshire.There are a few of us on here,so they will probably be along later to welcome you.

A lot of us have been hit by the blight in our tomato's this year mainly due to this rotten damp weather we have been suffering from so don't think it is anything to do with you,it isn't.

If you have compost that contains blight spores then my advice would be to throw the compost away in your dustbin preverably bagged up.

If you spread it on the ground over at your allotments then the spores will contaminate the soil and if you try to grow spuds or tomatos then you will infect the new plants.Blight spores are often carried on the wind from infected plants but it can also come from old compost. Good Luck...

Where are your allotments in Northants,if you don't mind me asking..

 

Thanks for that. It rather confirms what we thought.

What's the best thing for sterilisig the tubs? I thought Jeyes Fluid would do the job, it smells lethal enough!

Our allottments are in our village which is the Northampton side of Daventry.

 

Hi Jill. Welcome to GC. Yup Jeyes Fluid is the thing but remember that it is also an effective herbicide if incorrectly used. So wash out well after use and give the tubs a long rest. That should see you right.

 

I would use Boiling water to kill off any bugs and bacteria.Jeyes fluid is good,I use that on my wheelie bins,but to avoid having the pong lingering on your pots then the boiling water should do the trick.

Our allotments are over at Earls Barton near Wellingborough.We have had 30 pole for 27 years and have now got the ground round just nicely,growing Vegetables, Fruit and Flowers

 

Hi Jill welcome to G.C. as you can see we are a friendly lot and there's always someone in the know to help you out.

As Kandy says there has been an awful lot of blight this year don't be put off nothing always goes to plan in growing things maybe next year will be better for us all!

Helen.xxx.

 

Hi Jill welcome to g c.

 

Hi jillnoviceallottment,welcome to GC. It's been a terrible year for blight with most growers being affected in some way. I had about 30 tom plants of different varieties planted out in the patch ( no greenhouse yet!) and none have produced any worthwile fruit. If you don't want to waste your compost, put some spring bulbs in it, but I wouldn't take it to your lottie just to be on the safe side.

 

Hi, jillnoviceallottment. I don't directly apply used compost that had blight but I do compost them. The way I get around it is that I always use bagged compost from shop to grow tomotos.

 

I know this is not very organic is it, but are there blight resistant tomatoes or potatoes?

 

hi jill i would sterilize my tubs with salt wash your tubs with hot soupy water then rinse out well if you have got a big barrel half fill with cold water and salt and put tubs in it thats how i do mine

 

Just to be on the safe side, you could recycle the used compost via the council sites, then collect some of theirs when you need it. They say that the heat at which their waste is composted kills the spores etc. It is free in some areas or very cheap in others.
There are no completely blight proof tomatoes or potatoes. GM modification is being tried by some plant breeders: I might be tempted! If next year is as bad as this I will be spraying my potatoes and tomatos with cpper mixture right from the start.
There are blight resistant varieties around. Having said that the potato which cropped best for me was the Pink Fir Apple which is supposedly prone to blight.

 

HE! HE! Would that be hot tomato SOUP?
Sorry