Tomato blight detected in western MA

The blight that ravaged last year's western Massachusetts tomato crop has been found again on a Hadley farm.

Ruth Hazzard, a vegetable specialist with the UMass Extension, tells The Daily Hampshire Gazette the tomatoes at The Next Barn Over farm have been plowed under in an attempt to stop the spread of the blight. She says tomato growers, including back yard gardeners, should consider using fungicides and inspect their plants regularly for the telltale signs of blight including nickel-sized dark green or brown lesions on the leaves and brown lesions on the stems.

Danny Ziomek, nursery manager at Hadley Garden Center, says growers who find blight should pull up their plants and bury them.

Blight is usually caused by unusually wet weather.