Having had an avalanche of letters from readers seeking solutions for the arrival of blight on their tomato plants, I thought it best to tackle the issue right here and right now, instead of waiting for the usual question and answer session.

Tomato blight — although it also attacks potatoes — is a fungal infection caused by spores of phytophthora infestans. These spores lie dormant in the soil until the arrival of the warm, humid conditions required to bring them back to life and into destructive action.

Blight is first visible as brown blotches on the leaves towards the base of the plants; these leaves quickly turn yellow before disintegrating into a slimy mess. Tomato fruits suddenly develop brown patches, quickly rotting on the plants and dropping fungal spores back down into the soil to destroy future crops too.

The best defence against blight is free circulation of air. For this reason, summer cropping tomatoes should be planted twice as far apart than at other times of the year. Also, remember to water only the soil around the plants, not the plants themselves, as wet leaves are prone to blight and a whole host of other problems too.

At the first sign of blight, remove all infected leaves and fruits, disposing of them well away from the garden, and pull out and destroy any badly infected plants.

Blight is caused by a fungal infection and like all fungi, they are spread by spores and require damp and warm weather conditions to thrive

Blight is next to impossible to control but spraying the following, for three consecutive evenings, may help. Mix together one teaspoon baking soda, one tablespoon vegetable oil and one litre warm water, and spray all parts of the plant and soil around its base.

This month’s seed sowing suggestions:

The flower garden: Having made the timely discovery of a long forgotten, self-collected, jam jar full of hollyhock seeds, my fingers are itching to get them planted and my always-imaginative mind is already picturing them in glorious full bloom. Even though it is traditional to sow hollyhocks towards the end of next month, I have long recommended that you start sowing them this month instead if you are aiming for a spectacular early spring to summer display next year. These glorious, initially slow-growing, flowers come in annual, biannual and perennial varieties, in dwarf, medium and tall growth habits, and can be single, double or double-double flowered.

Old-fashioned favourites which are adored by bees and butterflies alike, hollyhocks are worth their weight in gold when it comes to adding bold statements to your garden and, in colours ranging from ivory white through pale pastels, soft pinks and reds to lush crimsons and night-dark purply blacks, these are ‘the’ flowers to have.

Then there are those tough cookies called zinnias which tolerate summer heat and monsoon rains to shine on right through into late autumn haze; vibrant tagetes for glowing colours and to help keep those sap-sucking aphids away from your other plants. Antirrhinums can also be started off, preferably in dappled shade, and do chose a mixture of dwarf and bushy, medium and tall varieties which, planted in eye-focusing clumps, give an immediate ‘cottage-garden’ impression. Matricaria, kochia, rudbekia, gaillardia, coleus, gompherena, balsam, gerbera and good old reliable cosmos can be sown now along with, if you are prepared to baby them through summer heat and monsoon rains, dahlia seed — although you may prefer to make things easier for yourself and wait until late July or August before doing this.

The vegetable garden: Chillies, chillies and more chillies. Another crop of pimentos and capsicums, more aubergines and tomatoes and yet another sowing of cucumbers can be made this month to keep these kitchen basics in continuous supply over the months to come. Fast growing types of summer cabbages — these are often open or pointed hearted and floppy rather than the cannonball hard-headed ones of winter — cauliflower, summer lettuce, Swiss chard/leaf beat, spinach, will all thrive, no matter how high the temperature, if grown in partial shade and watered in the relative cool each evening. Green onions also prefer partial shade in the summer as do red radish and crunchy white mooli. However, okra — plenty of it, please — adores full sun and lots of water to help produce those delicious green or purple pods we grow it for.

The herb garden: Lemongrass can be grown from seed sown now or multiplied by root division of established plants during early spring. It is perfectly at home in large pots/containers as well as in the ground. This useful herb is one that everyone should find space for.

Aniseed, so simple and fast to grow, is another herb with various medicinal and culinary uses, plants can grow very large and the fragrant, feathery foliage is a delight to the eye as well as to the senses. Chives and garlic chives are simple to grow and have a variety of uses, as do dill, coriander, calendula and borage. Don’t forget to sow some more nasturtium seeds, in partial shade over the summer months, to add brilliant splashes of intense colour to your herb garden and a delicious tang to salads and sandwiches.

The fruit department: Start off more pineapple tops if you have them, and sow seed for fast growing Chinese gooseberries. Before the end of the month, sow more sweet melon and watermelon seeds in well-fed and prepared ground.

Shrub of the month: Lantana camara (Lantana). A member of the verbena family of plants, lantana is a woody perennial whose flowers are particularly attractive to butterflies and it is often included in butterfly gardens. Easy to propagate from seed sown anytime between March-October, it can also be increased by taking cuttings, about four to six inches in length, of new shoots in spring. Strip all but the top two leaves off the cuttings and insert in pots of good quality compost up to half of their length. Keep moist at all times and cuttings should begin forming roots within three to four weeks. Plant out when well-established. Established lantana plants/shrubs, up to about two metres in height, are drought and saline tolerant. The seeds are considered toxic. Plant leaves and stems should not be fed to livestock. An invasive plant in many parts of the world, this South American native was introduced into Pakistan many years ago and has become quite a problem in arid areas outside Islamabad and Rawalpindi. It is though, a reliable garden plant, especially for coastal regions where many other plants refuse to grow.

Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. The writer does not respond directly by email. Emails with attachments will not be opened

Published in Dawn, EOS, May 31st, 2020