*Please note, this is a digital product and only accessible via the website. It is not downloadable.*

This knowledge pack will help you understand and manage the likely diseases you will encounter when growing food. You’ll learn which diseases to worry about! And at what stage of growth.

Understanding diseases helps with an appreciation of how plants manage their growth. Many diseases are part of the natural growth cycle.

Almost every plant, at some stage in its life, will be affected by disease(s). Some make little difference to growth. Other diseases affect the amount and quality of harvest, to varying degrees.

The vegetables we know and grow are sometimes unnatural plants, bred for specific harvests. And we may grow them slightly out of season. This makes them more vulnerable to nature’s ‘corrections’.

Knowledge is key, the vital first step. Being aware of potential problems enables you to reduce damage from the start, before diseases even arrive. You can also then nip problems in the bud, by learning the first signs of perhaps greater damage ahead.  

I explain what to do if the pressure on plant growth becomes too much. Often a dire-looking situation is salvageable, but sometimes it’s good to cut your losses.

I also explain how to reduce the likelihood of diseases becoming problematic, even how to prevent them happening. 

Here are some examples: 

1. Improve the quality of your soil to make plant growth stronger, building health instead of fighting disease.
2. Morning watering reduces mildew compared to in the evening, and learn not to over-water.

You never need to use synthetic chemicals. Some would call my approach ‘organic’ but I would say it’s more than that. Tune into nature and learn methods from her, so that you can grow plants as healthily as possible.

The information is for reference more  than reading all at once. It’s split into shorter sections so that you can access what you need, quickly and easily. 

Contents as below – includes text, photos and videos

• Intro
• Diseases 1: Alternaria leaf spot, bacterial soft rot, blackleg, canker of parsnips, clubroot, damping off, fusarium wilt, germination – poor
• Diseases 2: Late blight (potatoes, tomatoes), mildew (cucurbit downy and powdery mildew, lettuce downy and powdery mildew, onion downy mildew, pea powdery mildew)
• Diseases 3: Rust, septoria, verticillium wilt, viruses (cucumber mosaic virus), white rot