How to avoid mildew in the vegetable garden?

Mildew, but what is it?

It is a fungus , commonly called MILDEW- or more scientifically called in Latin the ” Phystophtora infestans “. He is capable of wiping out an entire tomato plant in a matter of days. In short, it is therefore the public enemy of your vegetable garden , or the beast to be slaughtered.

When and how to recognize mildew?

It appears after a nice summer shower… it is then that brown spots appear on your tomato plans, first on the stems, which will then spread to the leaves and finally the fruits. Your tomato plant is probably infected with this so-called “fungal” disease.

It is important to react quickly, because once the fruits are attacked, it is sometimes too late…

Mildew therefore settles during summer storms, in a hot and humid environment , and especially in dense foliage , where light and air are smothered…

How to get rid of Mildew?

As for an epidemic… the first golden rule will therefore be to space your plants as much as possible in order to avoid a possible spread of the fungus. The advantage of planting in a greenhouse is to protect your tomatoes from humidity , which gives them a certain immunity…

Space your plants as far apart as possible to avoid possible spread of the fungus.

Good to know: Nettle is an excellent preventive remedy against Mildew because it strengthens the immunity of your plantations. When you plan to plant your tomatoes, remember to protect the feet from nettle manure , by making a mound on and around the “mother” foot. The higher the mound, the deeper the plan will be rooted, giving your plan a natural strength to counter the spread of mildew .

Protect your mounds with mulch

It is also recommended to protect your mounds with straw , thus creating a buffer space between the wetlands and the lowest foliage. In addition, the mulch reduces the splashing of irrigation water, and facilitates flow directly to the roots.

Attention: the watering is done almost on the ground , and not on the leaves !

Tip (extra): At the beginning of Spring, regularly apply ” Bordeaux mixture ” taking care to respect the dosages in order to treat your plantations by an “Organic” method.

Grandmother’s methods against Mildew

Last possible resort… if, despite all this, Mildew has already tainted your fruit, a mixture of bicarbonate + black soap + water can also do the trick by spraying the mixture on your diseased plans.

A few drops of “Cineole rosemary” essential oil diluted in water and black soap can also help to stop the spread.

However, old-fashioned methods are less convincing (bicarbonate or Rosemary essential oil) because it is particularly difficult to get rid of Mildew once installed.

To avoid mildew on your tomato plants , especially if you live in a region with bad weather, it is therefore a good idea to prepare your plants beforehand. A favorable microclimate of the garden greenhouse type, combined with good ventilation of the plants (spacing them as well as removing suckers and developing the staking well) makes it possible to avoid the humidity which causes and aggravates mildew.