Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Chris John on March 1, 2010 at 4:51pm

There are many resistant varieties of tomatoes. The best selection of all tomato varieties is at Totally Tomatoes. They have just about ever tomato on this earth and it can tell you all the resistant varieties. http://www.totallytomato.com/
Good luck with your situation. Make sure it was tobacco mosaic. Take a sample to your county extension for analysis before you go through all the trouble of trying to rid your soil of a problem that may not exist.

Permalink Reply by Muriel Fish on March 1, 2010 at 8:22pm

Chris, I'm sure that's what it is. My former high school student works as a pest consultant with the local Ag company and he's good. Thanks for the tip on the tomatoes. I'll check it out. My family gave me such a bad time about, "Tomatoes again? What a surprise." Now they turn their noses up at the store bought tomatoes. I will move the tomato bed to another location and try your referral.
Thanks

Chris John said:

There are many resistant varieties of tomatoes. The best selection of all tomato varieties is at Totally Tomatoes. They have just about ever tomato on this earth and it can tell you all the resistant varieties. http://www.totallytomato.com/
Good luck with your situation. Make sure it was tobacco mosaic. Take a sample to your county extension for analysis before you go through all the trouble of trying to rid your soil of a problem that may not exist.

Permalink Reply by Muriel Fish on March 1, 2010 at 8:24pm

Sheri, Great idea. Hadn't thought of that. They won't do well as a harvest crop in my soil but could cleanse the area.

Sheri Cline said:

Muriel, Check into planting potatoes. Potatoes remove a lot of bad stuff from soil. You may have to grow them for 2 years to remove it all. Potatoes were used when our pioneers settled into areas where the soil was not fit to plant good farms. They raised potatoes first and the potatoes took out the bad stuff (Terpentines from pine trees and so forth) and they didn't starve to death!

Permalink Reply by Barbara zn8 VA on March 8, 2010 at 6:38pm

just remember that all solanums (incl. potatoes) are related to tomatoes and can harbor/host/infest the ground with other diseases that tomatoes can get. I've never heard of potatoes "cleansing the ground", but it is certainly well described to keep a four year rotation between planting related items in the same area. These would be eggplants, peppers, tomatoes and potatoes in this case. There is a great book by Jean Cunningham that discusses companion planting and plant families and rotation schedules. Great Garden Companions is the name, I believe.

Permalink Reply by Muriel Fish on March 8, 2010 at 6:58pm

Thanks for the info. I'm going to try elevating my tomatoes this year in pots. I have done some research on the companion planting. I was pretty successful last season with most of my crops. The tomatoes did fantastically until they got the virus.

Barbara zn8 VA said:

just remember that all solanums (incl. potatoes) are related to tomatoes and can harbor/host/infest the ground with other diseases that tomatoes can get. I've never heard of potatoes "cleansing the ground", but it is certainly well described to keep a four year rotation between planting related items in the same area. These would be eggplants, peppers, tomatoes and potatoes in this case. There is a great book by Jean Cunningham that discusses companion planting and plant families and rotation schedules. Great Garden Companions is the name, I believe.