down hill garden

[Monty]

help! My organic garden was a great producer until late July. The problems I am having look like Early Blight and maybe a mineral deficiency (calcium?), but I need some help on identifying the problems. Problems are: Early Blight symptoms on my tomato plants which has spread from plant to plant and is now working up my cherry tomatoes (I'm afraid I planted these guys too close together), my Roma tomatoes are getting soft canker spots and various blemishes/holes/insect activity, all of my Cherokee Purple tomatoes have gouges going around the top of the tomato and are splitting while on the vine, my cucumber plants have turned yellow and have lost production and finally, my bush beans have lost their firmness, not turning the bright green they were and with rotting leaves. I've removed all of my bush beans, half of my cucumber and some of my tomato plants (depressing!). I've sprayed with a lime/sulfur fertilizer twice, insecticidal soap for the bad bugs, have used compost tea in the spring, have watered on occasion with fertilizer and have kept the place generally weed and dead leaf free. I composted with manure in the spring because my soil is more clay-like than anything else. Long post, but can't seem to edit anything out. Thanks

[applestar]

I'm sorry your garden is not doing well

There is an outbreak of Late Blight and it sounds like you've got it in your garden. Here's the sticky on the subject in the Tomato Growing Forum.

I got a little worried when I read that you used Lime Sulfur -- it's used for fungicide but I really thought it's only used in the dormant season so I did a quick search. I see you *can* use it on growing plants but could the phytotoxicity of sulfur have affected some of your other plants? I could be wrong as I haven't used it before myself. FWIW, here's one link on the subject that seems to support this: http://lancaster.unl.edu/hort/Articles/ ... lfur.shtml

I think too, that Lime Sulfur may have weakened the population of good fungi and good bacteria in your garden. Perhaps foliar sprayingwith compost tea -- preferably aerated compost tea -- as well as 10% milk-and-whey solution would help to restore them.

[Monty]

thanks for the advice. Will rotating my crops and composting fall and spring help control any late blight next year and bring my soil back to balance?

[applestar]

Monty, read through the sticky link and if what's been discussed there doesn't answer your question, ask on that thread, OK?