Part 2: Tomatoes in Southeast San Francisco, 2024
A truth about tomato genetics: Blight resistance means just that, resistance , not immunity. In a year that has had perfect conditions for a bad case of late blight, all four of my late blight resistant tomato varieties got it. And, all four gave me excellent crops. The plants could keep producing healthy fruit even while they became more and more infected. In other words, the plants didn't go from green to blechy-brown in a matter of days. Instead, it's taken months for late blight to impact my plants. I don't spray my tomatoes with any antifungals, even organic-approved ones, but I do remove as many sick leaves as I can and dispose of them in the municipal compost. August 10th: Late blight has arrived. Right now, I have loads of fruit. I'm putting away jars of tomatoes for use later when they're no longer around in my garden. I've dehydrated cherry tomatoes to toss in savory scones, salads, and pastas. I've delighted in thick juicy slices on sandwiches, a
