My tomatoes are staring to ripen now, but two tomatoes next to each other on the same truss have turned brown at their tops. Is this blight?
If so, there's another three tomatoes left on the same truss that don't seem to have a problem so far. Might they still ripen safely or are they likely to rot too?
Yes, Tomsk, that looks very like blight to me. It can spread very quickly, and the rest of your tomatoes are likely to get it soon. You could pick them and put them aside to.ripen, but they may well develop blight anyway, so keep an eye on them.
Well it's a shame I've ended up with blight, but so far it only seems to have affected a small amount of my vines. There's still a lot of fruits to ripen, so I'm hoping they all make it.
As an aside, I've taken my first proper crop of tomatoes today and used them in cooking. They taste a bit salty and contain a huge number of seeds compared to supermarket tomatoes. Is this normal for home grown?
I wondered if the salty taste of my fried tomatoes is a sign of using too much tomato feed, and whether the large number of seeds is a sign that I did something wrong while they grew? (watering or feed issues?)
Either way, I'm happy with the taste when they're cooked. Raw, they taste a bit watery.
I have no idea why they would taste salty or seem seedy, it's not normal for home grown toms. What variety are they?
This year I grew a cherry-type bush tomato called Losetto which is blight-resistant and has been very successful. I also grew Sungold, a cordon variety that doesn't seem to get much blight either. They had very little sign of blight until a week or two ago, when the crop was coming to an end anyway. They're both F1 varieties so the seeds are expensive but I'll grow them again, rather than lose so many to blight as I have in previous years.
Tomsk, no idea why they should taste "salty". It's highly unlikely to be related to any feeding procedure. Toms' flavours are dictated by their genes.
The number of seeds is down to the variety. Some are loaded with seeds, others - plum varieties, for example - have fewer seeds.
Woodgreen, "blight resistant" just means the plant will, in theory, cope better with fungal infections. If fungal spores are around, a plant will become infected. In fact, for the more benign* fungal infections like Early Blight, good housekeeping - nipping off affected foliage at the first sign of infection, etc - should see the plant through to the end of the season.
*As opposed to the destructive infections like Late Blight.
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No, Steve, the flies were common or garden houseflies, attracted by the smell of the toms, I think. No Toms this year, few flies.
I have the blight but some of the fruits are not ripe,will it be safe to pick the fruits off and ripen on the window sill?
I doubt if blight is toxic to humans, but I'd avoid eating any horribly infected ones.
My tomatoes are staring to ripen now, but two tomatoes next to each other on the same truss have turned brown at their tops. Is this blight?
If so, there's another three tomatoes left on the same truss that don't seem to have a problem so far. Might they still ripen safely or are they likely to rot too?
Yes, Tomsk, that looks very like blight to me. It can spread very quickly, and the rest of your tomatoes are likely to get it soon. You could pick them and put them aside to.ripen, but they may well develop blight anyway, so keep an eye on them.
Thanks Green Magpie,
Well it's a shame I've ended up with blight, but so far it only seems to have affected a small amount of my vines. There's still a lot of fruits to ripen, so I'm hoping they all make it.
As an aside, I've taken my first proper crop of tomatoes today and used them in cooking. They taste a bit salty and contain a huge number of seeds compared to supermarket tomatoes. Is this normal for home grown?
I wondered if the salty taste of my fried tomatoes is a sign of using too much tomato feed, and whether the large number of seeds is a sign that I did something wrong while they grew? (watering or feed issues?)
Either way, I'm happy with the taste when they're cooked. Raw, they taste a bit watery.
Is tomato feed based on seaweed. Could this be the source of the saltiness, if you used a lot?
Also for me blight always affects my crop, I don't bother anymore. I even had blight on supposedly blight resistant varieties e.g. Ferline from T&M.
I have no idea why they would taste salty or seem seedy, it's not normal for home grown toms. What variety are they?
This year I grew a cherry-type bush tomato called Losetto which is blight-resistant and has been very successful. I also grew Sungold, a cordon variety that doesn't seem to get much blight either. They had very little sign of blight until a week or two ago, when the crop was coming to an end anyway. They're both F1 varieties so the seeds are expensive but I'll grow them again, rather than lose so many to blight as I have in previous years.
Tomsk, no idea why they should taste "salty". It's highly unlikely to be related to any feeding procedure. Toms' flavours are dictated by their genes.
The number of seeds is down to the variety. Some are loaded with seeds, others - plum varieties, for example - have fewer seeds.
Woodgreen, "blight resistant" just means the plant will, in theory, cope better with fungal infections. If fungal spores are around, a plant will become infected. In fact, for the more benign* fungal infections like Early Blight, good housekeeping - nipping off affected foliage at the first sign of infection, etc - should see the plant through to the end of the season.
*As opposed to the destructive infections like Late Blight.
I must be lucky. In 25+ years of tom growing, never suffered Late Blight.