Tomatoes are in peak season in the UK, with July marking the first harvest for many growers around the country. However, at this crucial time, gardeners should be aware that now can be a very dangerous period for the plant. As we have seen with the recent weather, July is often an unpredictable month, with warm sunshine quickly giving way to rain. These sudden weather changes can leave tomatoes very vulnerable to blight.
Blight is a fungal disease that starts as small, greasy-looking dark spots on tomato leaves and can quickly spread. Once your soil has been infected, it can be very difficult to stop it from destroying this year’s crop and will keep returning for any future plants you try to grow.
However, despite the high stakes gardeners don’t need to panic, even though blight is common in summer, it can be very easy to prevent as long as you add one natural item to your tomato plant soil.
Gardening experts and founder of Simple Garden Life, Jim and Mary Competti, have shared a simple tip that mulching tomato plants with bits you may already have sitting in your garden is the key to keeping them safe.
They said: “Blight can live in the soil for many years after an infestation. Unfortunately, if the soil is bare, those spores can splash up on the bottom leaves of tomato plants whenever it rains or you water.
“But with a thick layer of mulch covering the soil, the blight spores are also covered. And because of that, it’s far more difficult for the spores to find their way to your tomato plants.”
Fungal infections in plants mainly travel through splashes of water when it’s raining, but a thick layer of mulch on top of the soil helps keep tomatoes safe by creating a protective barrier.
It doesn’t have to be complicated either, one of the best things to use as mulch for tomatoes is grass clippings. Any leftovers you have after mowing your lawn can be perfect as it is thick enough to block any rain splashing to reduce the chance of infection.
Grass clippings also help the soil retain moisture, which slowly waters tomatoes over time and helps keep the plant healthy and strong over the often dry summer months.
But that’s not the only benefit, the gardening experts added: “Grass clippings are also an excellent choice for mulching around tomato plants. When first applied, green grass clippings help to add nitrogen back to the soil. And nitrogen is vital for tomato plants to help fill out and produce foliage.”
Nitrogen is the nutrient responsible for foliage growth and is often the core of any fertiliser, so while clippings protect the plants from infection, they also give them a growth boost to build up energy for fruit production.
Doing the groundwork soon and toward the start of the growing season, will allow tomato plants to produce stronger leaves and steams that will be able to support bigger fruit.
Although this can be a great method for saving a tomato plant there are some precautions, with gardeners warned not to use clippings from a lawn that has been treated with chemicals.
All you need to do is spread a thin layer of dry grass clippings around the base of each tomato and your plants should stay healthy throughout the warmer months.