Is this the dreaded tomato blight?!

Goldylookinfinch

Hello everyone, happy September!

My tomatoes are staring to ripen, however other than the Gardeners Delight, all that are turning red seem to have a sort of brown rust like spotting - I've attached photos below:

This is a beefsteak variety, its leaves look healthy, no yellowing


And again same discolouration on the Roma variety, but the plant again appears fine:


As you can see below, the leaves and plant seem fine:


Strangely, the below is the leaves of one of the Gardeners Delight, the fruits of which are fine, but the plant appears not right?



PLEASE tell me this isn't blight! I've read that one needs to dig out the ground if it is. My first tomatoes and they are in and ground bed in the greenhouse, so fingers crossed not. Potatoes are grown outdoors other end of the garden and appear fine.

Thanks everyone for any enlightenment

Pete.8

OK it isn't blight
Someone else posted about speckles on their toms a while ago.
But it's not blight.

If they had blight you'd see black bruises on the main stem and leaf stems and the fruits then start to rot.

Goldylookinfinch

Pete.8 said:

OK it isn't blight
Someone else posted about speckles on their toms a while ago.
But it's not blight.

If they had blight you'd see black bruises on the main stem and leaf stems and the fruits then start to rot.

Oh thank you thank you!! Thank goodness, I've only just finished the greenhouse and the soil, the idea of all that work and having to dig it out was horrible!! 

I will have a search for speckles, I had a search earlier and came up dry but will try speckles

Pete.8

Speckles is the technical term for it 😁
Let us know if you find out why

Goldylookinfinch

@Pete.8 I will do - something I read indicated it may have been water damage but still investigating!

Pete.8

I've been growing tomatoes for a long time and I can remember a few occasions when mine have had it.
Just a few fruits, mostly lower down on the plant and usually just the top is speckled.
There's no sign of damage to the fruit under the skin so it seems to be cosmetic only

Goldylookinfinch

It does appear cosmetic, no raised bumps or pocks, and the fruit itself remains in good condition. I reckon they'll be fine peeled, or cooked. This is my first year with a veg garden, so a lot learned, esp with feeding and water, and light for tomatoes. I'm hoping for a better crop next year - the greenhouse wasn't finished, so i wonder if the plants got a bit stunted in their pots, and i've only had one ripe tomato so far. Clearly a lot more light needed, and hopefully next year this speckle won't occur!

steephill

Tomatoes need heat to ripen so hopefully rising temperatures next week will help.

BobTheGardener

steephill said:

Tomatoes need heat to ripen so hopefully rising temperatures next week will help.

Yes indeed - mine are running late and the higher temp will definitely help with ripening.  I'm having trouble with botrytis in this cool spell, but luckily not blight.

Goldylookinfinch

@steephill @BobTheGardener I am up in the hills of North Wales, its super exposed to the elements, and sunshine can be a real problem compared to elsewhere in the country. I checked the weather for next week and it is to be brighter with some sun, so fingers crossed we will get ripening too - I've only had one so far, and it already September!

Out of interest do any of you and @Pete.8 grow tomatoes in a poly tunnel ? What with them needing sun and PTs tending to be opaque? I'm thinking of doing a poly tunnel instead of another greenhouse due to the expense overall.

Fairygirl

I only grow undercover here due to climate and conditions. I can't see how you'd get enough consistency to grow outdoors in your location @Goldylookinfinch.