I'm growing some Cherokee Purples this fall and the plants were doing great until I had to go out of town last week and I covered the growing baskets with 4mil white plastic to protect from unusually cold nights (they were ventilated). When I returned yesterday i found good looking fruits and beautiful new growth toward the tops, but dark spots all over the lower leaves and stems. many leaves and stems have curled up and died. Condensation build up in the micro greenhouse is probably is to blame, but is there anything i can do now to save the plants? I REALLY,REALLY,REALLY, want these plants to make it. They are laden with young fruit.
Remove damaged vines/leaves. Let the plant air out. Foliar feed a compost tea or kelp/fish combo. Tomato plants are tough. I bet it quickly returns to a productive plant.
I used baking soda spray to stop blight on my tomatoes this summer. I believe it was a tablespoon per gallon of water. It didn't wipe it out, but did keep it from advancing. I added horticultural oil to keep it from washing off and sprayed once a week after removing blighted leaves.
Abigail, 8 kids grown, 1 blossoming and 9 grandkids- what a harvest!
Posts: 734 | Location: Far Rockaway, New York | Registered: July 17, 2002
We have been growing Cherokee purple tomatoes in a greenhouse, because our season is too short here in upstate NY, for a few years now. They have a great taste when canned and make a really great tomato sauce, or spagetti sauce, but I have found that they are not tasty when used fresh in salads or sandwiches. For lunch, I skin them, cut them up and barley cook them with onions in a sauce pan, then sprinkle with fresh basil from the garden and enjoy them like a really chunky soup. Tania from zone 4
To paraphrase John Lennon, "Life is what happens while you're making other plans, especially in the GARDEN."
