Fighting fly and fungal problems in your garden
Unfortunately, tomatoes can be affected by a whole range of pests, diseases and disorders, but action can be taken in time to prevent or halt a full infestation. Below is a list of some of the more common problems seen in the greenhouse and poly tunnel.
This little white aphid also affects peppers and aubergines. As it originates from Mexico, it cannot survive outdoors. The symptoms are sticky leaves that in turn get infected by sooty mould and then turn black. You will also see the small white flies that take to the air when the plant is disturbed. The whitefly is mostly found on the underside of the lower leaves.
There is an easy way to never get whitefly into your tunnel or greenhouse. You simply raise all your tomatoes, peppers and aubergines from seed. The only way of getting whitefly in the first place is from infested plants. Most gardeners that have a tunnel or greenhouse for many years will probably already have them.
There is now a very effective control and this is the ‘Encarsia formosa’ a tiny parasitic wasp that feeds on the whitefly and works as a biological control. You can buy the wasp eggs by mail order. The timing is important.
They should be released as soon as the first whitefly appear. If there is already an infestation it’s too late. It is so successful and reliable that now even conventional tomato growers prefer this method to chemical control.
Grey mould is a very common disease in tunnels and greenhouses. It affects many different and unrelated vegetables. Tomatoes are usually affected from late summer/early autumn onwards when it becomes more damp and cool.
The symptoms are grey fluffy moulds on leaves, stems or fruit. As a prevention, provide the best possible ventilation even on wet days. You don’t want condensation to build up on the plastic or polythene.
Keep your tunnel or greenhouse tidy and remove any affected leaves and dispose of them. If the disease is already on the stem you can try the milk and water spray.
You use one part milk to 5 parts water and spray the mix in three consecutive days onto the affected part of the stem and you’ll find that the disease stops spreading.
Potatoes and tomatoes can suffer from potato blight. It’s not often a problem in tunnels and greenhouses but in bad years it can quickly wipe out your tomato crop. There is no cure for it but there is now a blight resistant tomato variety available – Ferline F1 – and it even tastes quite nice.
The symptoms are yellowing of the leaves while the leaf veins remain green. The older leaves are affected first.
If your soil is deficient in magnesium you can use magnesium limestone. You can enquire in local quarries as to which type they have. It is usually quite inexpensive to buy ground limestone.
This is quite common with tomatoes. It is caused through irregular watering and a sudden burst of growth after a dry period. Some varieties of tomato are more prone to splitting than others. Regular watering may solve this problem.
The symptoms of blossom end rot is a dark and often rotting area at the base of the tomato fruits. This disorder is caused by a shortage of calcium. Often the calcium is not absorbed quickly enough due to a lack of water.
The symptoms of greenback are hard, unripe green patches on the fruit while the rest of the fruit is fully ripe. Hot conditions can cause this uneven ripening. In order to prevent greenback, ensure that there is adequate ventilation and in warmer areas consider shading your tunnel or greenhouse during the summer months.
Six good tomato plants are enough if you just want to eat a few tomatoes every day from July until October. If you want to preserve tomatoes for the winter you can grow about 15 to 20 plants.
* Brandywine: A delicious but quite low-yielding heritage variety
* Indigo Rose: The blackest tomato ever – bred for high anthocyanin content, very late ripening.
* Pantano Romanesco: One of the best flavoured tomatoes, large uneven beefsteak type.
* Rosella: An open-pollinated cherry tomato with dark red/purple fruits, delicious flavour.
* Sungold F1: My favourite tomato of all with the nicest flavour and high yield of golden orange cherry tomatoes. Starts cropping very early and lasts longest —very hard to beat.
* Sweet Aperitif: Red cherry variety, has beaten Sungold F1 for flavour in some trials.
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