AVOIDING TOMATO MILDEW: IT’S POSSIBLE!

Tomato mildew is the number one disease in the garden. In this article, you will find solutions to avoid it.

Mildew or Phytophthora infestans is a devastating disease in the garden, due to a fungus. It is prevalent especially in summers with a lot of rain and temperatures between 10 and 25°C (50 and 77°F).

By contrast, a hot, dry summer hinders the spread of this disease. Treatments exist, but the risk of an outbreak can be reduced by using resistant varieties and taking certain steps.

• Use healthy seeds and bedding plants, bought at a store,
• Try to keep them away from other Solanaceae such as pepper, eggplant, and especially potatoes which are potential hosts for Phytophthora infestans.
• Ensure that no diseased potato tubercules remain in the soil,
• Under shelter, ventilate crops as much as possible to avoid high humidity,
• Don’t water the leaves but rather the base, and don’t hesitate to remove old leaves when the plant is well developed: this will help to limit the contamination risk!
• Remove diseased leaves as needed

But if you really don’t want to deal with tomato mildew disease, you can always grow the cherry tomato CROKINI!