Okay, I've got a few minutes. Let's take a look at some of the questions and objections others have raised. First, let me say this: IMPORTANT SIDE COMMENTS: My purpose in starting this thread was to get help from others in evaluating whether this idea might be viable or not. (It wasn't to try to convince you that doing what I've suggested is the way to go.) Hearing your objections is helpful in figuring out if I've overlooked something important or if there is something that makes this idea a no-go or not worth it from an effort-reward standpoint. In responding to your objections, I'm not trying to be argumentative; rather, my interest is in evaluating whether they are a serious issue or not really a problem (or a problem that can be worked around fairly easily). On this subject, there was a bit of mild sarcasm in my first post on the 16th. I'm sorry. Please excuse me for that. AND NOW THE ACTUAL TECHNICAL CONTENT... Objection #1: Heat build-up is going to be a big problem. Answer: I'm not really sure why that would be, although maybe I'm missing something. If I have what's basically a cage made from insect screen/netting, the sides (and potentially the top) should all have a decent rate of air exchange through them due to air diffusion, if nothing else. This isn't a greenhouse with solid sides and roofing. I would expect it to be a few degrees above the outside ambient temperature on sunny days, but that's about it. Am I estimating temperature build-up incorrectly? Related Objections: Ventilation! Humidity! Regarding ventilation, we don't get a lot of wind around here in the summer and plants still manage to do okay. As mentioned above, air will diffuse through the screen, resulting in a situation that I would guess is not that much different from what it would be with no screen at all. Nevertheless, I could periodically run a fan if needed to circulate the air. Regarding humidity, air diffusion through the screen ought to keep it in line with the area outside the structure. Objection #2: It won't stop pests, or at least not plum curculio - no screen mesh anywhere is fine enough to stop plum curculio. Answer: Are you sure? The screen ought to stop moths (e.g. the Oriental Fruit Moth). As for plum curculio, check out http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/Anti-Insect-Screen/productinfo/IS-AI/ - they say this stuff will stop western flower thrips. Compare the size of western flower thrips (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_flower_thrips) to that of plum curculio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plum_curculio). Although I'd like to finish this post, I really need to go now - hopefully can get back with you all in the next couple of days. Thanks!

Organic gardening methods and products run the gamut between the absolutely useless to the amazingly effective. No one opinion here, or other places is enough information. Only research will give you sound advice on what works and what is a waste of time and money. Many products proffered on the "organic gardener" are sold to the uninformed as miracle products that do nothing except part you from your money, and some can do more harm than good. Here is a piece that I wrote for my blog on how I determine whether or not to try something. Howling at the moon while wearing a tutu and other miracle cures. Before I go on, know that I am fully in favor of natural ways to control diseases and insects or to keep plants healthy and I always like to find ways to substitute such methods for conventional chemicals. That said it also annoys me to see the amount of snake oil sold to the uninformed. So how do I determine if a new miracle product is worth a try? First through my experience and education I look for a reasonable explanation of why it might work. Second I look for independent scientific studies and if I can find more than one or two I look for a consensus. Third I look to other trusted people who have tried the method or product. And fourth because I am in business I look at cost benefit analysis to other methods. This may not be important to someone else, and indeed in my own yard is not a big factor. Lets take three scenarios and see how this works for me. 1. A few people have told me that applying Wilt Pruf periodically before rain will help control Black Spot on roses. My experience and education tell me that there is a reason why this could work. Black Spot is a water transmitted disease, thus if a waxy coating is on the leaf when the spore hits it the hyphae might not be able to grow through it. I checked for scientific studies and can find none for or against this claim. I talked to some people I trust and found that they do believe it is a benefit. Wilt Pruf is expensive, but for reasons not relevant to this writing it was worth a try. I have tried it and believe it does what I have been told. When I tell others of this claim I tell them that I believe it works but that my experience is not by any means scientific. By the way applying any product not for the use intended is against the law so apply Wilt Pruf to deter wilting, as I did, and if it happens to control Black spot then all is good. 2. I hear that Corn gluten is a good pre-emergence weed killer. My experience and education tell me that there is no good reason this will work, but also I know nothing of the theory so have no solid reason why it will not. I checked for research and can find one study from the University of Iowa that claims it works. (Hmm interesting, what do they grow in Iowa?) The majority of studies give no credence to this research. The consensus is that though it has some limited control on some weeds it is a poor pre-emergence weed killer. I checked with people who have actually tried it and I gathered from what I heard that the only way this product might work is if they left the unopened bag on the ground, no weeds would grow underneath it. Corn gluten is expensive and I like my wallet full more than I dislike weeds. I have no intention of trying this product unless I hear compelling scientific evidence that I am wrong. 3. I read on the Internet that howling at the moon while wearing a tutu will stop Borers infesting my Pumpkins. Through my education and experience I see no reasonable reason why this would work and can think of many reasons why it won't. I checked for scientific studies and surprisingly enough could find none. I asked people I trusted and they are now inquiring about having me committed. I don't think that tutus are very expensive so cost is not a factor. Once again there is no reason to try this method except that it might annoy my neighbor who is a perpetual pain in the but. So in conclusion do your research before spending your hard earned cash on the newest miracle product. I may have posted this already, but a search did not find it so forgive me if you have seen it already.

darrenmb One can go batty trying to ID tomato plant diseases, but in this case, no matter what it is, it appears there's one best path. Whatever the problem is, the best thing to do is remove the affected leaves (put them in a plastic bag for trash pickup) and keep the rest of the plants sprayed with a fungicide unless you determine that it's Late Blight, which requires the more drastic action of destroying the entire plant and then sanitizing the soil, another discussion altogether. One step at a time.... Good luck, and I hope your plants survive and are productive!

elc, my answer to your question in your post is at the bottom of this post but please do read what I've posted first. Blight is a general word that to most folks means a sick tomato or potato plant/ There are the fungal foliage diseases of Early Blight ( Alternaria solani) and Septoria LEAF Spot ,, and the two bacterial ones Bacterial Speck and Bacterial Spot, and NONE of them are soil borne diseases/ The spores of the first two and bacteria from the second two may fall to the soil from infected plants and the next year be splashed back onto the lower foliage after heavy rains or irrigation and that's called splashback reinfection. There are many other diseases that do cause wilts, the foliage diseases do not, and the most common wilt dieases of Fusarium and Verticllium are soilborne and Root Knot Nematodes in CA and the south where the gound does not freeze deeply and areas. I repeat, where the soil does not freeze deeply/ There are two major mating types of LB (Phytopthera infestans a systemic disease) now, before about 199o, as noted above, and before that there was just one. This gets a bit complicated so I tried to find some links that would explain it best rather than my doing a lot of typing. Both mating types A1 and A2 are now found in the US and are most predominant in the middle Atlantic states and especially the PNW/ When the two mating types meet they can form oospores that can overwinter whereas the LB most of us know cannot. Oospores can give rise to recombinant strains or LB that have more tolerance to to the antifungals that commercial farmers use, the most important one being Ridomil, which is not available to home gardeners. The best prevention for home gardeners is Daconil. And now it's time to get some links going so I don't have to go through the life cycle and so much more. The first link which is at the very bottom does a good job of explaining the situation in non-technical terms. Here;s a second one from MI that is also non technical. http://migarden.msu.edu/uploads/files/e1802.pdf Elc, you mentioned both blight and wilt in your initial post. You said that it was new soil, so one has to assume it had NO foliage disease spores or bacteria in that new mix, and it wouldn't have had any soilborne wilt pathogens either, So I have to assume that what your plants had were one or more of the fungal foliage pathogens that are spread via wind and embedded in rain droplets, or from irrigation. Yes, I know CA and occasionally it does rain and yes the wind can blow in spores from other areas.LOL If those foliage pathogens dropped onto your container soil then yes, they could be a problem next year , the same as if you were growing inground as to splashback reinfection, so what you can do is to remove maybe 4-6 inches of that possibly contaminated mix and top it off with new mix. Or if money is not a factor, dispose of the mix in the containers and replace with new. If it were me I'd remove the several inches and top it off. All NEW infections with the fungal and bacterial pathogens are acquired via wind, rain or irrigation as I mentioned above, as opposed to splashback reinfection. Hope the above helps, Carolyn Here is a link that might be useful: LB mating types and more