Operate a rotation to reduce the risk of potential infection from resting spores in outdoor soil-grown tomato crops, ideally of at least four years (also avoid growing potatoes in the soil during this period).The soil or compost could be distributed over an area of the garden not used for growing tomatoes or potatoes. Re-using soil or compost will also increase the risk from a range of other diseases that can attack the root system or the vascular system of the plants. Due to the potential risk of long-lived resting spores being produced by the blight pathogen (see the ‘Biology’ section, below) it is best not to use the soil or compost from a blight-affected greenhouse crop to grow tomatoes in the following year.Attempting to harvest and ripen green fruit from affected plants indoors may therefore result in a large percentage of the fruit subsequently rotting, so using the unripe fruit immediately (for example to make chutney or sauces) may be a better option Once a plant has developed high levels of the disease on the leaves and stems it is likely that many of the fruit will also have been infected, even if they don’t yet show symptoms. Use the fruit from affected crops as soon as possible.Ensure that the foliage of greenhouse-grown tomatoes is kept as dry as possible.Picking off leaves when just a few are affected may slow down the progress of the disease very slightly, but will not eradicate the problem.This has been developed for professional growers of potato crops, but can also provide useful information for gardeners growing tomatoes as well as potatoes Gardeners are able to access forecasts of when blight will be active in their region, check if there have been previous instances of favourable weather for the disease, or see if there have been confirmed cases - visit the BlightSpy website.Hard surfaces and the glass in greenhouses can be cleaned in the same way. Clean any plant supports and other garden equipment that has previously come into contact with blight with a disinfectant such as Jeyes Fluid before re-use, to make absolutely sure that there is no disease transfer.Infected material should be deeply buried (below the depth of cultivation), consigned to the local council green waste collection or burned, rather than composted (see the 'Biology' section, below).Leaf mould doesn't cause lesions on the stems or extensive fruit decay, however. Visible growth of the leaf mould fungus on the underside of affected leaves is greyish-brown rather than white, but if the leaf tissue has been completely killed this may be difficult to see. Greenhouse-grown tomato plants can also be affected by a different disease called leaf mould, which produces very similar symptoms on the leaves to those of blight. Watersoaked patches, turning brown, can appear on green fruit, whilst more mature fruits will decay rapidly.These lesions can lead to collapse and death of leaves, stems or even the entire plant Brown lesions may also develop on the leaf stalks (petioles) and stems, again with white growth sometimes visible under wet or very humid conditions.During suitable conditions, when the pathogen is spreading actively through the leaf tissues, the edges of the lesions may appear light green, and a fine white 'fungal' growth may be seen on the underside of the leaves The initial symptom of blight is a rapidly spreading, watery rot of leaves, which soon collapse, shrivel and turn brown.

You may see the following symptoms on tomato plants with blight: Malvern Autumn Show - 27-29 September 2024.RHS Flower Show Tatton Park - 17-21 July 2024.RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival - 2–7 July 2024.RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show - 14 June – 7 July 2024.

Best blight resistant tomatoes