From Bobbi; Help-Early Blight On Tomatoes

What is your question for a Master Gardener?

I have a gardening question. The last few years I’ve gotten early blight fungus that has affected my tomatoes. What can I do to get that out of my soil? I’ve rotated my crops. I only have a 10X10 garden space.

                            Tomato leaf with Early Blight Disease

Researched and answered by Advanced Master Gardener Bruce.

Thanks for your question Bobbi. Unfortunately there is no known practice to eliminate Blight, but there are things you can do to help lessen the effect of Blight:

Rotate your tomatoes every year

Remove all parts of the tomato at the end of the season and turn the soil to help bury the blight spores.

Plant blight resistant varieties. The variety will not eliminate blight, but the plant is more resistant to the disease.  Use link to view varieties http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/Tables/TableList.htm

Water tomatoes at the base of the plant instead of watering from above soaking the leaves.

Mulch around the tomato

Remove the lower leaves on the tomato plant. Leave about 12 inches from the leaf to the soil. Water will splash the fungus from the soil onto the leaves.

Prune to aid in air flow through the plant. See the following Purdue link for more information.

https://ag.purdue.edu/btny/ppdl/Pages/Tomato-Blight.aspx

Good luck Bobbi! We are always here to help.

—
Bruce