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Composting blighted tomatoes - yay or nay

celcius_kkwcelcius_kkw Posts: 753
in Fruit & veg
I’ve just bought a couple of composter and I’ve read conflicting advice regarding putting blighted tomatoes (as well as other diseased plants such as powdery mildew) in compost heap - I just wonder what’s everybody experience with composting blighted plants? 
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  • EustaceEustace Posts: 2,290
    Please do not compost blight affected tomato plants. The spores will remain in the soil and blight might affect the plants in subsequent years.
    Oxford. The City of Dreaming Spires.
    And then my heart with pleasure fills,
    And dances with the daffodils (roses). Taking a bit of liberty with Wordsworth :)

  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    The spores remain viable on live organic matter.  IF you can compost at high temperatures,  you may get away with it. If not don't risk it. Blight is wind bourne so it may come from elsewhere,  but do not risk having your own reservoir.  
    AB Still learning

  • SkandiSkandi Posts: 1,723
    Blight does not remain in the soil or in compost so you would be fine, the spores can remain viable in potato tubers so make sure you remove all of them if they were infected and on multiple host plants (weeds like black nightshade) so keep the garden clear of those as well.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I have read that you should get rid of the soil too. But I never have.
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    Anything with fungal diseases I either burn or send in the council green waste bin.  Potato blight spores certainly survive in soil.  You should not grow potatoes on a site that has been blighted for five years. The whole crop rotation thing is to try and prevent the same crop being grown in the soil  more than once every three years, six years if you have a big enough space and can do it.  I never reuse the compost from growing tomatoes to do it again the following year, I use new.  The old compost I use for my spring bulbs in pots after enriching it with a handful of blood fish and bone to rejuvenate it.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I would agree with @fidgetbones. We don't grow outdoors here, as it just isn't viable for consistency, so I've never had blighted tomatoes, but I wouldn't hang onto anything dodgy. Council bin for me. 
    I don't grow potatoes as we don't eat many. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    My understanding is that blight spores are everywhere, all the time.
    But unless the weather conditions are right they can't reproduce so have no effect.
    It's only when the weather conditions are right for them to reproduce it becomes a problem.

    I think it's generally good practise not to compost diseased plants as plants weakened by one pathogen may also have a host of other diseases due to its weakened state.


    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • celcius_kkwcelcius_kkw Posts: 753
    Thanks everyone 

    one the main reasons for my thinking behind composting my blighted tomatoes is the fact that we are not allowed to burn anything on our site and it is a bit of a faff to bag up ten fully grow n tomato plants and take them to the council skip.. so I thought if they could be composted then it’s win win 

    Here are the few articles that I’ve come across

    https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/avoid-tomato-blight/

    https://www.quickcrop.co.uk/blog/can-compost-blight-affected-potato-plants/

    Both of these articles support composting blighted plants

    but the RHS’ stand is to avoid to be absolutely sure.. as there are some varieties of blight that produces oospores that can survive the process, although they have not formally detected such varieties in this country yet..

    https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=217

  • 8srw6c4zzw519018srw6c4zzw51901 Posts: 1
    edited September 2023
    So there’s conflicting opinions about composting tomato plants with blight, but a few who don’t compost them at home, take them to the council compost. So, is the consensus that that is a preferred option? Doesn’t the council sell it on?
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It's an old thread @8srw6c4zzw51901. There's a big difference between home compost bins and what the council ones achieve. Heat being the main factor.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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