How2 'clean' vege garden soil btween crops of Toms
dibble35,
Feb 17, 1:38pm
I have 2 smallish vege gardens and no room to create more, I got blight quite bad this year in one of the gardens, and have just realised this morning that its probably because i had grown potatoes in the same soil the previous year (same family same disease) anyway is there anyway of cleansing the soil of any blight spores that might be lurking in the soil!I'm not interested in spraying nasty chemicals or anything onto the soil, I try and garden with the minimum chemical input, so I was hoping there was a greenmanure crop that may help cleanse the soil, or anything else, TIA.
trah,
Feb 17, 3:45pm
I'm interested in replies to this question too, as my tomatoes have blighted badly this year, although they have and are still producing prolifically.Unlike you, dibble35, I did not grow potatoes in those raised beds last year.I have heard you can grow mustard over winter to "clean" the soil - is that right, anyone!
kaddiew,
Feb 17, 4:51pm
I'm interested too. Think my spud garden needs a well earned pick-me-up over winter.
purplegoanna,
Feb 17, 5:22pm
its called Phytoremediation ( f the few thing i did learn at school), horticulture was my fav class, even thought the teacher told me id neva get anyhwere in the plant world, ive done landscaping, run a plant centre, etc etc.
andrewcg53,
Feb 17, 5:55pm
Are you sure it is blight and notmagnesium deficiency
liggy2,
Feb 17, 6:32pm
You can use jeyes fluid
lythande1,
Feb 17, 7:07pm
Blight comes from humid conditions. You could move.or just spray with copper until the fruit starts to ripen. Late blight isn't so bad, you pretty much have got them all harvested by then.
dibble35,
Feb 17, 9:37pm
Yep i'm spraying copper on the remaining toms in the other garden, and yes its blight. After googling it the spores just come in the wind from other gardens anyway and as soon as its humid, BAM. I'm up north so we get quite humid weather, but that 7-10 days of ultra humid, wet, weather we got over xmas has made the problem so bad this year. I think i've always got blight but not badly and usually late, this is the first year i've ever had to spray for it. I'll look up that mustard as a green manure crop, i too recall it cleasns the soil. but not sure of what.
dibble35,
Feb 17, 9:38pm
Thanks for this, will look it up tonight
pauldw,
Feb 17, 10:25pm
Most references to Mustard as a cleaner concern heavy metal contaminations like lead.
I found this on the net."The reason many organic farmers, and farmers in general, use mustard as a green manure is the pesticide property it contains.
Mustard contains a few enzymes than when broken down produce a gas call Allyl isothiocyanate. (This is the flash you get when you eat wasabi or oriental mustard). That gas can kill fungus and nematodes." I'll give it a go, cant hurt. Just be aware not to plant it where you're going to plant brassicas later on. Clubroot problems
trah,
Mar 14, 11:42am
Thanks so much dibble.
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