Tomatoes and chiles

[Rich Fitch]

I've had some horrendous tomato seasons in the past couple of years with wilt, (or virus-I'm not sure which. It's the disease that begins killing the leaves from the bottom up until the whole plant is gone). I heard the awful wet weather last year caused major crop failure in all parts of the Northeast. Supposedly the fungus is omnipresent in the soil, and top watering splashes the fungus on the leaves at the bottom which just transfer up the stem. I've heard that mulching prevents this-but whatever there is that someone has used to solve the problem, PLEASE let me know. The same wilt affected a large portion of my Jerusalem Artichoke patch too.

Chiles did well. If anybody wants a GREAT Habanero type that grows well in the north try 'Chinese Paper Lantern" They're my favorite. Absolutely stunning green to orange to red fruits all over big bushy plants. Pack a wallop too-just like a traditional Habanero. Easy to grow to, but slow starters.

Does anybody have any 'Ghost Chile" seeds? (Or are they just too dangerous?)

Looking forward to warmer and longer days...

Rich from Fitch