The tomatoes are all gone
By adamg - 7/31/09 - 7:43 am
Amanda Cather, a farmer at Waltham Fields, describes the helpless feeling watching an entire tomato crop die because of late blight - the fungus that's spread across New England this rainy summer (and the fungus that caused the Irish potato famine):
... Heavy on the vines and almost ready to ripen, the fruit turned rotten in a matter of days. From one Saturday to the next, the vines withered and died on their trellises. The second succession, planted right beside the first, was hit next. Despite spraying copper, an organically approved fungicide, we saw the blight appear in our cherry and plum tomatoes as well. Once the disease appears, there is no organically approved method of destroying it. ...
Comments
Filthy Irish
brought the plague with 'em!!!
:)
Making a statement like that
Making a statement like that is its own form of a plague. What an S.O.B you are Nielv. No lessons learned over the last two weeks from this guy.
Besides the ridiculousness...
...was the smiley and my Irish given name not enough? :)
racial epithets
racial epithets
Conventional methods?
If the entire crop is going to die within a few days, why not at that point switch to conventional (i.e. pesticide) responses, to at least save the crop, even if it is no longer certified organic? Or does that cause problems for later eyars?
Unlikely to work
Nothing is likely to save the tomatoes. If they spray down some heavy fungicide, they're losing twice. They're not used to using toxic chemicals, and application would have to be widespread and repeated. Fungicides are toxic to people and critters too, and organic farms rely in part on beneficial insects, as well as lots of volunteers, who would all need protection. It would be a big organizational change.
They're going to have to plow under the entire field and probably rotate it away from tomatoes next year.
It is awful to see the tomatoes go.
Fungicides are toxic to
Really? Tens of millions of people eat fungicide-treated tomatoes every day. Do you see people dying in the streets?
This is a matter of religion, not science.
Religion?
I tried to be specific here, but I guess you probably have never worked on a farm, never worked with pesticide or fungicide application, etc., so it didn't make sense to you. The issue here is not the trace amounts that remain on a tomato after the consumer washes it; it's the large, airborne amounts that are applied to the plants.
The fungicide most recommended for the blight is called chlorothalonil. It is toxic when inhaled. It can cause kidney damage and possibly cancer.
If you walk down a row and mist your plants without the proper protection, you might inhale what you're misting with. That would be very bad for you. The farm in question is unlikely to have sufficient gear for its volunteer workforce to be sufficiently protected. It is also likely to affect the beneficial organisms required at an organic farm.
Is inhaling chlorothalonil part of this religion you speak of? It doesn't sound like your group will be around for long.
Organic certification
My recollection of things is that, if one uses conventional pesticides, one cannot certify/be certified organic for three years after the last date of use. I can't fault Amanda for not wanting to go that route. She's been a steady hand at the helm of Waltham Community Farms for a while now, and I trust her judgement.
And for me personally this could be good news. I didn't get my money scrapped together this year until after the resubscription deadline, so newcomers all swooped in and I didn't get a share at Waltham this summer. This will almost certainly free up a few shares for next summer. How's that for optimism? :P
treating late blight
Please note this blurb from the UMass Amherst Late Blight page:
Organic farms can apply copper hydroxide but they need to have started it BEFORE symptoms appeared.
More info at: http://www.umassvegetable.org/LateBlightAlertforTomatoandPotato.html