Regenerating a planet: updates from Sirius

Sirius Community Center

By Mark Scialla

Tonight marks the end of Week One of the Permaculture Design Course I am attending at Sirius Community in Western Massachusetts. The week progressed so fast, and each day is packed with so much information. I thought I'd give you all a quick recap of my week here that includes some of the things I've learned and what this means for the projects in the park.

How to Tame and Protect Your Tomatoes From Late Blight

By Kelly McKeon and Mark Scialla

Late blight on potato leaves / www.maine.gov

Although the threat of frost and early blight is behind us, the dreaded late blight looms close to our region. Late blight, affecting tomatoes and potatoes, has been confirmed in Delaware, Virginia and on five farms in Long Island, NY. 

Late blight is the more ferocious cousin of early blight, the latter affecting leaves and fruit. Early blight can be controlled if spotted early, saving the life of the affected plant. Conversely, late blight is a very serious pathogen that causes blight, which kills tomato and potato plants. Late blight has been known to affect other members of the Solanaceae –nightshade- family, such as tomatillos and eggplant.