312 What is Fusarium Wilt? (And Why You Don't Want It!)

Question from listener Linda: "We have fusarium wilt in our garden. We are putting in raised beds in April. What kind of barrier should go in at the bottom of the beds to prevent the wilt getting into the raised bed?"

Fusarium wilt is a fungal disease that is widespread. Plants that contract it start getting yellowing leaves, and that's usually followed by the death of the entire plant. Fusarium can infect many more plants than tomatoes. The list includes trees, shrubs, and summer annuals, including some of your favorite garden plants besides tomatoes: peppers, potatoes, melons, eggplant, strawberries, onions, cucumbers, and more can all be attacked by specific forms of Fusarium. So can many ornamental flowers.

What's a gardener to do? Master Gardener and vegetable expert Gail Pothour and myself discuss how Fusarium can get established in your garden, and the tools available to home gardeners to control the spread of this fatal plant disease, including using raised garden beds. Note that we said, "control"...not "eradicate".

Previous episodes, show notes, links, product information, and transcripts at the home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred, GardenBasics.net. Transcripts and episode chapters also available at Buzzsprout.

Pictured: A healthy tomato stem on the left; a Fusarium-infected stem on the right.

Links: Subscribe to the free, Beyond the Garden Basics Newsletter https://gardenbasics.substack.com Smart Pots https://smartpots.com/fred/ Dave Wilson Nursery https://www.davewilson.com/home-garden/

Fusarium Wilt Information from: UC Ag & Natural Resources University of Minnesota The Missouri Botanical Garden

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