Comments on: Not Tomatoes! http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/2009/09/28/not-tomatoes/ A Bird Blog with Kate St. John Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:17:05 +0000 hourly 1 By: Kate St. John http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/2009/09/28/not-tomatoes/comment-page-1/#comment-19486 Kate St. John Thu, 18 Oct 2012 10:26:12 +0000 http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/?p=10675#comment-19486 This plant is a common native in the eastern U.S. so I don’t bother with it unless it comes up as a weed in my garden. I’m not sure if it’s invasive in other parts of the world. If so, it may require an effort to get rid of it.

]]> By: wayne http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/2009/09/28/not-tomatoes/comment-page-1/#comment-19485 wayne Thu, 18 Oct 2012 09:29:15 +0000 http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/?p=10675#comment-19485 What to do if you find this plant

]]> By: Alice http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/2009/09/28/not-tomatoes/comment-page-1/#comment-14429 Alice Thu, 08 Sep 2011 08:21:30 +0000 http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/?p=10675#comment-14429 Thanks I had always called it deadly Nightshade too. Now I know better.

]]> By: Anne Curtis http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/2009/09/28/not-tomatoes/comment-page-1/#comment-8168 Anne Curtis Tue, 29 Sep 2009 04:07:09 +0000 http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/?p=10675#comment-8168 Kate–Not directly on point, but did you know the “early blight” which has destroyed so many of our wonderful tomatoes is caused by the same fungus that caused the Irish Potato Famine 1850-53? Since potatoes and tomatoes are in the same family (as you wrote) each is vulnerable to diseases affecting the other. Although it is thought the fungus was brought to this area by “big-box nursery” plants from the South, it is airborne, so has destroyed entire fields of tomatoes. Plants must be totally eradicated–pulled up and bagged, not composted–so the fungus can’t winter over.

In Ireland, the farmers harvested healthy-looking potatoes, only to find them blackened and watery/shriveled the next day. Same w/ our tomatoes, according to the farmers I’ve talked with. Irish farmers were essentially share-croppers, exporting wheat, produce and meat, mainly to their British landlords, and surviving on their potato crop only. When that failed, they were turned out of their farms and starved. The lucky ones emigrated. A boon for USA, Canada, and Australia, but not so good for Ireland!
Anne

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