Tomato Growing in the Rain

The week has begun with much cooler temperatures and plenty of heavy showers.

Because last season was so disappointing owing to tomato blight, I've become extra sensitive to my plants being destroyed again by rain and fungal disease.

However, tomato plants are able to absorb moisture through their leaves as well as their roots, and this can be helpful in the prevention of blight.

If you can stop their soil from becoming soaked through with rain, tomato plants will absorb some of the rain on their leaves which helps to dry the plant leaves more quickly.

This means that if you water less when wet weather is expected and prevent rain from the area around the plants roots, this can help to dry-out plants that have been given a good soaking on a wet day!

Have you ever wondered why tomatoes split when it rains but don't usually split when you give them a good watering. It's because water through both roots and leaves are too much for the tomato skins to cope with.

Don't forget to resume normal watering when the weather improves or blossom end rot will be the next challenge ... who said that growing tomatoes is easy?