Early Blight Infected Mulch

12 years ago

I have a raised bed that was planted with tomatoes for the first time this year. I mulched the bed with wheat straw trying to avoid the early blight. No luck. I trashed the tomato vines but my question relates to the mulch. Early Blight spores can remain in the soil for a number of years. I do not want to compost the mulch because I can never seem to maintain a hot enough compost pile. My question is, would you suggest:

1. Trashing the wheat mulch that is probably infected with the early blight spores.

2. Just work the mulch into the soil in that bed (which is already infected with the early blight spores) and just rotate the tomatoes out of that bed for a few years.

3. Throw the mulch on some part of my yard where I am not growing vegetables.

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Comments (6)

jean001a
12 years ago
It's not in the soil
It's not in the wheat mulch.
It's in the tomato plant debris.

Remove and destroy plant debris.
Or hot compost.
Or incorporate into the soil soon now.
Kimmsr
12 years ago
As Jean stated the spores that may cause Early Blight will not be in the mulch or in the soil but they do live on tomato plant residue and other plants in that family.
Burying, deeply, the infected tomato plants is one method of control as is bagging and trashing them. Not planting anything of that family in that area for a minimum of 3 years is also highly recommended. Buying certified disease free plants or seeds is also a highly recommended action.
Perhaps the link below will be of some help.

Here is a link that might be useful: Early Blight of Tomato
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yolos - 8a Ga. Brooks
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you for your responses and I did read the link (and many previous links on the subject). But, if infected leaves or tomatoes fall off the tomato plant and end up in the mulch, then wouldn't the mulch contain tomato plant residue which will contain the spores. I did try to pick all of the tomato residue off the mulch, but I am sure there was much that remain.,
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
12 years ago
The spores can overwinter on both the mulch and the soil surface as well as on any plant debris. Either alternate 2 or 3 would be advisable. At the very least, rotate your tomatoes to a different planting area next season.
jean001a
12 years ago
You could remove every last tiny bit of tomato plant and, next year, the fungus will still blow in from elsewhere to affect your plants if environmental conditions (temperature & moisture) are favorable.

Remove as much tomato debris as you can.
Leave the mulch be.

Then, as has been suggested, rotate your solanaceous crops (tomato, pepper, & eggplant)) else where for a while. plant elsewhere for the next several years. (Not easy to do if your garden is small.)
Kimmsr
12 years ago
According to the people that have studied plant pathology the spores of Early Blight need tissue from "solanaceous" plants to survive outside the growing season. So if there is some debris from this family in the mulch then most likely the spores could survive. Not too likely if there is no plant debris from those "solanaceous" plants.