Blight Resistant Tomatoes

Discussion in 'Edible Gardening' started by JWK, Sep 20, 2021.

  1. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jun 3, 2008
    Messages:
    30,681
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Surrey
    Ratings:
    +45,628
    Buffalosun F1 - blight resistant yellow beefsteak - no GC member has grown this before.

    Cherrola F1 - blight tolerant red cherry - no GC member has grown this before.

    Crokini F1 - blight resistant red cherry - no GC member has grown this before.

    Cocktail Crush : blight resistant small red cherry - GC members report bland taste.

    Crimson Crush F1 : blight resistant large red - GC members report good to bland taste and variable plant growth.

    Fantasio F1 : blight resistant med/large fruit - no GC member has grown this before.

    Ferline : NOT completely blight resistant - GC members report good to poor taste.

    Honey Moon : blight resistant, big red heavy smooth fruit - lovely taste (Grown by JWK and Susieshoe)

    Koralik : Small red cherry, bush (Determinate) type - GC members report good to insipid taste.

    Lizzano F1 - blight tolerant small red cherry, trailing bush (Determinate) type ideal for hanging baskets - no GC member has grown this before.

    Mountain Magic
    : blight resistant but GC members report bland taste.

    Merrygold F1 : blight resistant orange fruit - as seen and approved on Beechgrove Gardens - no GC member has grown this

    Nagina Plum : Nice balance of acid and sweet. Heavy cropper but late to get going (grown by Susieshoe)

    Oh Happy Days : blight resistant red beefsteak - GC members report good to mediocre taste with late variable yields. I prefer Honey Moon instead)

    Primabella : blight resistant, large cherry - nice rich taste (Grown by esthersym)

    Summerlast F1 : blight resistant red cherry - dwarf determinate (bush) ideal for patio containers - no GC member has grown this

    Vesper F1 : blight resistant small red cherry - no GC member has grown this

    Edited 30/12/2021 to add all the varieties I can find with GC member's verdicts.
     
    • Like Like x 2
    • Informative Informative x 1
      Last edited: Feb 25, 2022
    • WeeTam

      WeeTam Total Gardener

      Joined:
      Mar 9, 2015
      Messages:
      2,362
      Gender:
      Male
      Ratings:
      +5,078
      Grew some Crimson Crush in the greenhouse. Nice big tomatos,taste really good. Lasting well after picking 2 weeks ago.
      Ferline not bad either.
      Deffo growing CC next year inside and outside too.
       
      • Like Like x 2
      • sandymac

        sandymac Super Gardener

        Joined:
        Jan 16, 2017
        Messages:
        375
        Gender:
        Male
        Occupation:
        engineer
        Location:
        durham
        Ratings:
        +910
        grew crimson crush, bland taste
         
        • Informative Informative x 1
        • JWK

          JWK Gardener Staff Member

          Joined:
          Jun 3, 2008
          Messages:
          30,681
          Gender:
          Male
          Location:
          Surrey
          Ratings:
          +45,628
          More varieties recommended here that I've never heard of before:
          Avoid tomato blight

          Berry "some resistance to blight - super sweet flavour" GC view: flavour not quite as good as Suncherry
          Fandango ''blight tolerant - excellent flavour"
          Fantasio "blight-tolerant superb flavour"
          Legend " some blight tolerance - beefsteak superb flavour"
          Lizzano "good blight tolerance - sweet.
          Losseto "very blight tolerant - no mention of taste"
           
          • Like Like x 1
            Last edited: Sep 21, 2021
          • Scrungee

            Scrungee Well known for it

            Joined:
            Dec 5, 2010
            Messages:
            16,524
            Location:
            Central England on heavy clay soil
            Ratings:
            +28,996
            I've grown Berry before in 2018, but in a polytunnel when there was no blight, not even outside. I got some seeds a few weeks ago to grow them again next year.



            Appears to be a contradiction in that link above:

            "Never plant in soil or compost that has previously contained diseased plants"

            "Blighted foliage can be composted away from the crop as spores need a living host to survive for more than a few weeks"

            If they require "a living host", then they shouldn't be able to survive in soil from which the plants have been removed after the previous season.
             
            • Agree Agree x 1
              Last edited: Sep 21, 2021
            • pete

              pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

              Joined:
              Jan 9, 2005
              Messages:
              47,702
              Gender:
              Male
              Occupation:
              Retired
              Location:
              Mid Kent
              Ratings:
              +84,336
              How does blight over winter?
               
            • Scrungee

              Scrungee Well known for it

              Joined:
              Dec 5, 2010
              Messages:
              16,524
              Location:
              Central England on heavy clay soil
              Ratings:
              +28,996

              From RHS (NB this is for late not early blight):

              "The pathogen overwinters in rotten potatoes left in the ground or by the sides of fields. However, the great majority of infections in gardens arise from wind-blown sporangia originating in other gardens, allotments and commercial crops. In the UK, outbreaks may occur from June onwards, usually earliest in the South West.

              The presence of new blight strains in the UK means that the pathogen now has the potential to produce resting spores (oospores) in the affected plant tissues. The oospores are released from the rotting tissues to contaminate the soil. These resting spores have yet to be found in the UK, but analysis of the recent variations occurring in blight strains in some parts of the UK suggests that they could be being produced. Little is currently known about their survival and their potential as a source of the disease, but investigations are continuing and more information is likely to become available over the next few years. However, because oospores are resilient structures, if they are produced in infected foliage it is quite possible that they will survive many home garden composting systems. This is why it is preferable to dispose of waste from blighted crops in other ways. Municipal and commercial composting systems reach the very high temperatures necessary to kill oospores and other resilient pathogen propagules."


              IF new strains of late blight that have spores which can overwinter in the soil appear in the UK, I'll continue to practice rotation, but always grow them through membrane to prevent leaves coming into contact with the soil and use under membrane watering systems. And probably stick to growing tomatoes under cover as there'll be loads of people with infected plants every year. :fingers crossed:

              P.S. My third polytunnel goes back up shortly and and a fourth one will be added next year. EDIT: Something I forgot to mention was now changing polytunnel planting layouts to keep tomatoes away from end ventilation grilles where driving rain might get onto their leaves (might line those internally with enviromesh or similar, but that will exclude pollinators and create extra work).
               
              • Like Like x 3
              • Informative Informative x 2
                Last edited: Sep 22, 2021
              • pete

                pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

                Joined:
                Jan 9, 2005
                Messages:
                47,702
                Gender:
                Male
                Occupation:
                Retired
                Location:
                Mid Kent
                Ratings:
                +84,336
                Wonder if the use of Jayes Fluid on the soil a few weeks before planting would be of any use.
                 
                • Useful Useful x 1
                • john558

                  john558 Total Gardener

                  Joined:
                  Feb 14, 2015
                  Messages:
                  2,359
                  Gender:
                  Male
                  Occupation:
                  Retired
                  Location:
                  Ramsgate, Kent
                  Ratings:
                  +8,190
                  I had Blight in one of my plastic growhouses, I cleared all the Toms in a Black sack and shut it up.
                  Once all the Toms & Pots are harvested, I plan to soak the inside with Jeyes Fluid and shut it up again until spring...............and then it's fingers crossed.
                   
                  • Like Like x 2
                  • Scrungee

                    Scrungee Well known for it

                    Joined:
                    Dec 5, 2010
                    Messages:
                    16,524
                    Location:
                    Central England on heavy clay soil
                    Ratings:
                    +28,996
                    I grew those for several years and they didn't get blighted, but in 2015 when late blight hit, they were quickly devastated (along with Ferline, Legend and Losetto) and never bothered with them again.

                    Bought the seeds from Realseeds, who no longer sell them. I've read that some older, previously resistant varieties aren't (so?) resistant to new strains of late blight.
                     
                    • Informative Informative x 1
                    • JWK

                      JWK Gardener Staff Member

                      Joined:
                      Jun 3, 2008
                      Messages:
                      30,681
                      Gender:
                      Male
                      Location:
                      Surrey
                      Ratings:
                      +45,628
                      I grew Koralik some while ago before blight was as prevalent as the last few years. I liked the taste but don't like bush types as being too unruly and fruiting all at once. I didn't keep any notes about blight so you could well be right about newer strains if late blight coming along.

                      I grew Ferline also but stopped as it was bland.
                       
                    • pete

                      pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

                      Joined:
                      Jan 9, 2005
                      Messages:
                      47,702
                      Gender:
                      Male
                      Occupation:
                      Retired
                      Location:
                      Mid Kent
                      Ratings:
                      +84,336
                      I'm presuming commercial growers are using fungicides to protect against blight.
                      Wondering what they are.:scratch:

                      The thing is I'm never going to go back to growing lots of tomatoes in the greenhouse, but just a couple of good plants outside would be all I need, but going by what has happened this year even that is not an option anymore.
                      Can't say as I like the copper sprays much too messy for my liking and not very effective this year any way.
                       
                      • Like Like x 1
                      • JWK

                        JWK Gardener Staff Member

                        Joined:
                        Jun 3, 2008
                        Messages:
                        30,681
                        Gender:
                        Male
                        Location:
                        Surrey
                        Ratings:
                        +45,628
                        Farmers have been spraying potatoes twice a week this year, they have access to chemicals we plebs can't have. I don't know about commercial tomato growers I guess they use the same stuff.
                         
                        • Like Like x 1
                        • Agree Agree x 1
                        • JWK

                          JWK Gardener Staff Member

                          Joined:
                          Jun 3, 2008
                          Messages:
                          30,681
                          Gender:
                          Male
                          Location:
                          Surrey
                          Ratings:
                          +45,628
                          Bordeaux mixture was the only answer until it was banned. It is very messy and needs thoroughly cleaning off fruit after picking. It was effective though compared to the copper products available now.
                           
                          • Informative Informative x 1
                          • Scrungee

                            Scrungee Well known for it

                            Joined:
                            Dec 5, 2010
                            Messages:
                            16,524
                            Location:
                            Central England on heavy clay soil
                            Ratings:
                            +28,996

                            What was got banned was the sale of the likes of Bordeaux Mixture to gardeners, not commercial users. Use (and purchase if you can find some for sale) by gardeners is still legal. I bought some before it was 'banned', then got more when it was reduced to clear just before the deadline for sales. Got enough for at least 10 years.

                            Only myself and somebody who mixes their own BM have outdoor tomatoes still standing at the plot.
                             
                            • Like Like x 1
                            Loading...

                            Share This Page

                            1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
                              By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
                              Dismiss Notice