Plant Diseases Affecting Garden Vegetables

Avoid planting the same crop family in the same garden bed for at least three to four consecutive years. Move tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes (all Solanaceae) to a different location each season, and do the same for cucurbits, brassicas, and legumes. This simple planning step is one of the most…

Direct water to the base of plants using drip irrigation, soaker hoses, or a carefully aimed watering can. Avoid overhead sprinklers that wet foliage. Water early in the morning so that any incidental splash on leaves dries quickly in the sun before evening humidity sets in.

Space your vegetable plants according to the recommended distances on seed packets or plant tags, and prune excess foliage so air flows freely through the canopy. For indeterminate tomatoes, remove suckers and lower leaves that touch the ground. For dense crops like squash, thin overlapping leaves…

Select vegetable cultivars bred with genetic resistance to diseases common in your region. Seed catalogs and plant tags use abbreviations to indicate resistance: on tomatoes, V means Verticillium wilt, F means Fusarium wilt, N means nematodes, and T means tobacco mosaic virus. Similar resistance…

Remove and destroy diseased plant material as soon as you spot it. Do not compost severely infected plants -- bag them for disposal or burn them where permitted. At the end of the growing season, clear all crop debris from beds. Disinfect pruning shears, stakes, and other tools with a 10% bleach…

Treat plants with an appropriate fungicide when disease pressure is high or at the first sign of fungal infection. Organic options include copper-based sprays, sulfur dust, and neem oil. Synthetic fungicides such as chlorothalonil are also available for home gardens. Always identify the disease…