From the Gardens Registrar: The Wonderful Wide World of Tomato Diseases; Preserving Tomatoes; Zucchini Gummies

Hello Gardeners,

THE MANY DISEASES OF TOMATOES – Early Blight. Stemphilium Gray Leaf Spot. Late Blight. Septoria Leaf Spot. Verticilium Wilt; Anthracnose. Blossom End Rot. The list seems endless. Tomatoes are a very popular vegetable in our gardens. People have been growing them at Eagle Heights for almost 60 years. No wonder our tomatoes are so subject to a long list of diseases.

Some of these diseases damage plants and fruits without killing them outright, but some can kill your plants. The most important strategy for an organic gardener is to build healthy soil, and provide enough water to prevent plants from getting stressed and vulnerable to diseases. It’s also best to rotate plantings – don’t plant your tomatoes in the same place you planted them last year (if possible, and it may not be.) If you can, plant varieties that are resistant to these diseases. These funguses spread more quickly when plants are crowded – good air circulation is important. When you water your plot, try to keep the water low, or use drip irrigation, because wet leaves can help spread funguses. Check your plants as often as you can, and if they show signs of disease, prune away the diseased leaves and remove them from the plot. Do a good clean-up at the end of the season, because some of these funguses can overwinter.

There is an OMRI-listed organic fungicide – copper. It can be sprayed both to prevent fungal diseases and to combat them. But although it is organic and acceptable for our gardens, it is very strong and can be dangerous both to plants and to people if it is not used carefully. This is best used as a last resort unless you really know what you’re doing. If you buy a garden fungicide which contains this, follow the directions and cautions exactly.

Here is some slightly old information from UW Milwaukee about three of the most serious tomato diseases in Wisconsin: https://douglas.extension.wisc.edu/files/2015/07/TomatoDiseases.pdf  It includes a list of some disease-resistant tomato varieties. (I know, it’s a little late for this year, but you might consider planting some of these next year.)

PRESERVING TOMATOES – So, if your tomato plants aren’t withering away from horrible diseases, and they’re bearing well, you may have the problem of too many tomatoes. This is a non-existent problem, because almost everybody loves tomatoes, they’re easy to give away if you have more than you want, and there are many, many ways to preserve them for the future. Some people can tomatoes, or tomato sauce. If you have the necessary equipment (which doesn’t cost much), this is a pretty easy process, and you’ll really appreciate these tomatoes in the winter. You can also dry them. To me, the easiest method is freezing. Tomatoes freeze beautifully. All you need is good quality freezer bags (which you can reuse.) Wash and dry the tomatoes, put them in the bag, and put the bag in the freezer. That’s it. They come out mushy, of course, so you won’t be able to use them for sandwiches or salads, but they’re excellent in soups and stews. You can also freeze tomato puree or tomato sauce.

ZUCCHINI GUMMIES – Can you stand to see one more recipe for using up extra summer squash? This stuff is really good - https://commonsensehome.com/zucchini-gummy-candy/

 Happy Gardening and Stay Well,

Kathryn