Wikipedia lists 59 various strains of disease for tomatoes. Not an incredibly large number considering the worldwide prevalence of the fruit but still concerning to the home gardener who doesn’t want any disease affecting his or her crop.
Fortunately there are a number of things that you can do to drastically reduce the chances of your plants suffering from disease and I will cover them in this article.
Research: The first thing that anyone should do when they start out growing tomatoes (or anything for that matter) is to consult local authorities about the plant. By authorities I mean people who have experience in growing the plant locally.
So go talk to people at your local market, nurseries and gardening fairs and see what they know. Find out what diseases, if any, are prevalent in the area and if there are some then plant a variety that is resistant to that disease.
Start Healthy: If raising from seed then ensure that you have employed strict hygiene procedures and buy your seeds from reputable sources. If you are buying seedlings then choose healthy ones, squat and sturdy looking not long and stringy and with no diseased leaves. Once again buy from reputable sources.
Garden Bed: Prepare your garden well. Don’t plant in last years soil, check soil composition and ensure that your garden is ready to receive your plants. Make sure that the pH is slightly acidic, that the soil is not too full of nitrates and that there is sufficient potassium (helps ward against disease).
Maintenance: Develop a good routine and make sure that you aren’t going to cause any issues. Bad watering practices cause more than their share of problems, as does incorrect pruning and fertilization. Understand how to maintain your plants well and you will save yourself a lot of grief.
Reference: If you follow the above four steps then you should find that you will have a disease free tomato gardening experience most of the time. However there will always be the occasional issue that strikes regardless of how well you have done your work. For this circumstance you really must have a comprehensive source reference available. Make sure that it is from an authority on the subject and has a comprehensive coverage of diseases.
As you may have gathered from the above, most of the work with tomatoes is in the preparation and maintenance. Overall they are a fairly robust plant and providing that they are cared for correctly tend to be healthy. Put a little bit of effort into the simple things and don’t take shortcuts and you will see the benefits in season after season of wonderful tasty tomatoes to grace your kitchen table.
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