http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/nyregion/18tomatoes.html?_r=1&hpw
"A highly contagious fungus that destroys tomato plants has quickly spread to nearly every state in the Northeast and the mid-Atlantic..."
"Professor Fry, who is genetically tracking the blight, said the outbreak spread in part from the hundreds of thousands of tomato plants bought by home gardeners at Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, Home Depot and Kmart stores starting in April. The wholesale gardening company Bonnie Plants, based in Alabama, had supplied most of the seedlings and recalled all remaining plants starting on June 26. Dennis Thomas, Bonnie Plants’ general manager, said five of the recalled plants showed signs of late blight. “This pathogen did not come from our plants,” Mr. Thomas said on Wednesday. “This is something that has been around forever.”"
I have not heard of a problem here in the northwest, but I've seen Bonnie Plants at Home Depot and wonder if they are from the same wholesale nursery in Alabama. I didn't buy any tomato starts from Home Depot, but if I did I'd be checking those plants over carefully as this blight sounds awful.
I hope I don't sound too alarmist, my tomato plants this year look better than ever and I'm already harvesting ripe tomatoes...I just wanted to give a heads up to my fellow tomato gardeners. Anyone who has read "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" knows that that this kind of problem in our food chain is inevitable given the current state of agri-business.
One last bit of info from the NY Times article:
"Mr. Draper said the diseased seedlings, found in stores as far west as Ohio, were at least one source of the illness, but, he added, “It’s possible that we are looking at multiple epidemics.”"
"Mr. Mishanec said agricultural pathogens can easily spread when plants are distributed regionally and sold by big-box retailers."
"“Farms are inspected, greenhouses are inspected,” he said, “but garden centers aren’t, and the people who work there aren’t trained to spot disease.”"
"Authorities recommend that home gardeners inspect their tomato plants for late blight signs, which include white, powdery spores; large olive green or brown spots on leaves; and brown or open lesions on the stems. Gardeners who find an affected plant should pull it, seal it in a plastic bag and throw it away, not compost it. Unaffected plants in home gardens and commercial fields should be sprayed with fungicide to prevent the spread of the disease. (More information can be found at a Cornell Web site, http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu.)"
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