Year of the Tomato

The American National Garden Bureau has declared 2011 the Year of the Tomato.   I hope 2011 proves to be a better year for growing tomatoes than 2010.  If you recall, last year many gardeners experienced the Late Tomato Blight that destroyed many tomato gardens almost overnight.  We had cool, moist, windy weather mid to late summer and this provided perfect conditions for the fungal pathogen, Phytophthera, to spread rapidly infesting the foliage and ultimately the fruit.  If you had a problem last year and you are planning to grow tomatoes again this year, it is very important to properly clean and remove any overwintering residue that might be harboring the fungus. This disease is not usually a problem in our northern climate as the conditions must be perfect and the fungus present for it to take hold, so don't be afraid to try your luck at another crop of tomatoes.  Tomatoes are generally easy to grow and there is nothing like a fresh, ripe tomato off the vine.  For more information about growing tomatoes, go to http://www.ngb.org/ and click on the 'Year of the ...' tab.