If you are looking for a simple way to keep blight from ruining your tomatoes this year, then the best way to success is by growing blight-resistant varieties. Not only are there many delicious and amazing options available to pick from, but they help to prevent blight from ever becoming a problem!
If there is one thing that can leave tomato growers frustrated, it’s the sight of blight. Blight is a fungus-like infection transmitted by spores that causes tomato plants to quickly wilt and eventually die.
Not only can blight affect the current year’s plants, but the spores can stay active in the soil for over 5 years, causing devastation to future crops as well. And what’s worse, once you see signs of blight, it can be almost impossible to stop. That’s why being on the offense is so important.
One of the best ways to prevent blight from taking over starts with choosing the right varieties of tomatoes to put in your garden this year. These blight-resistant tomatoes will ensure that you get to make the most of the entire growing season!
What Is Blight
There are two main types of tomato blight: early season and light season blight. Early season blight occurs when late spring and early summer have been overly wet. While this type of blight isn’t always fatal, it can cause a reduction in your plant’s fruit production.
Late-season blight is usually more of an issue and is almost always fatal for tomato plants. It typically starts to appear about the same time that your tomatoes start to produce fruit.
First, the lower foliage will start to brown and die. Before long, the blight has worked its way up the entire plant. The fruit is also affected, causing dark brown or black spots on the tomatoes, making them worthless.
At this point, the only thing you can do is pull the affected plant and toss it. The plant material isn’t even good for adding to your compost pile at this point since the spores can live in most home compost piles.
That’s why prevention is the key to success. While there are some steps you can take to help avoid blight, planting and growing tomatoes that are naturally blight resistant is your best chance of avoiding blight, especially if you’ve had issues with blight in the past.
Growing Blight Resistant Tomatoes – 5 Great Varieties
Natural genetic resistance to blight has been found in some varieties of tomatoes throughout the years. These varieties have been bred into many wonderful hybrids that you can find in most garden centers today.
There are even some heirloom varieties available as well that are resistant to blight. And rest assured -There is no genetic manipulation occurring with these hybrid varieties – only selective breeding, so the seeds are still 100% GMO-free.
One thing to keep in mind is that no tomato plant is 100% blight-proof. These plants simply have a stronger resistance to blight and are able to withstand an infection better if one were to occur.
In addition to growing blight resistant tomatoes like the 5 following varieties, practice other methods of helping prevent blight for the best success. See, How To Keep Tomato Plants From Getting Blight
Eva Purple Ball
Eva Purple Ball tomato is an excellent canning tomato but it is also delicious eating fresh as well. It thrives in warmer, humid areas where other varieties might struggle. This indeterminate variety produces several 3 to 7-ounce-sized fruit with reddish purple skins.
The Eva Purple Ball tomato is one of the more blemish-free tomato varieties and there is little worry about skin cracking. It has excellent resistance to diseases including early and late season blight and blossom end rot. Seed Link: Eva Purple Ball Tomato – 50 Seeds
Plum Regal Hybrid – How To Stop Blight By Growing Blight Resistant Tomatoes!
If you are looking for a blight-resistant paste tomato, then Plus Regal Hybrid is a great choice. Not only does it resist blight, but also spotted wilt virus, verticillium wilt, and fusarium wilt.
Plum Regal Hybrid tomatoes are Roma-style tomatoes that are perfect for turning into thick, flavorful sauces and salsas. The 4-ounce-sized tomatoes are mostly crack-free with very few seeds and a thick, meaty interior.
Since they are determinate varieties, most of the fruit will be ready for harvesting around the same time. This makes them ideal for canning and processing in large batches.
Mountain Merit – How To Stop Blight By Growing Blight Resistant Tomatoes!
The winner of the 2014 AAS (All-American Selections) is the Mountain Merit tomato. This all-around great tomato is perfect for slicing and sandwiches and is a true powerhouse when it comes to producing massive amounts of healthy fruit.
The 10 to 12-ounce tomatoes grow uniform in shape and size with crack-resistant deep red colored skins. The determinate plants have a nice long 4 to 5-week window for harvesting, which makes them excellent candidates for canning and processing.
Along with being resistant to early and late season blight, Mountain Merit tomatoes are also resistant to fusarium wilt, nematodes, spotted wilt virus, verticillium wilt, and tobacco mosaic virus.
Legend Tomato – How To Stop Blight By Growing Blight Resistant Tomatoes!
If you are looking for an open-pollinated tomato variety, then check out the Legend tomato. This newer determinate variety produces fruit that reaches around 4 to 5 inches across. Released in 2008 in Oregon, Legend is an early producer that is resistant to late season blight. In fact, Legend plants produce some of the earliest slicing tomatoes available.
Not only do Legend tomato plants resist blight, but the fruit is delicious as well. These plants can handle cooler weather better than most open-pollinated plants as well as being able to withstand hotter weather too. Seed Link: Legend Tomato Seeds (20+ Seeds)
Mr. Stripey Tomato – How To Stop Blight By Growing Blight Resistant Tomatoes!
Another great heirloom variety that is also naturally resistant to blight is Mr. Stripey Tomato. This tomato isn’t just delicious with a low-acid flavor profile, but it is also a stunning fruit as well.
Mr. Stripey lives up to its name by producing large 14-ounce slicing tomatoes with beautiful stripes of red, orange, and yellow coloring. As an indeterminate variety, Mr. Stripey tomatoes will continue to produce stunning fruit until the first frost.
The fruit is great enjoyed fresh or for adding a natural sweetness to sauces, juices, and other canned products. You really can’t go wrong no matter how you decide to use Mr. Stripey tomatoes!
Here’s to growing tomatoes that are blight resistant and enjoying a wonderful tomato harvest this year!
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