Tomato blight is a disease that affects tomato plants, manifesting itself as dark, often brown spots on the leaves and fruits. It can lead to wilting, plant collapse and eventual death if not treated. There are two types of blight including early and late, both of which can affect a plant simultaneously.

The disease thrives in warm, wet and humid conditions, spreading through airborne spores carried by the wind and rain. With areas of the UK experiencing damp, warm weather this week, it's important to be on the lookout. Monty Don has shared two ways to keep blight away.

Writing in his July 2024 blog, the gardening expert said: "From late July, the risks of blight increase, dependent as it is upon the combination of high humidity and warm days and nights.

"The best defence for outdoor tomatoes is good ventilation as well as stripping off the lower leaves as the fruits develop helps this."

When it comes to ventilation, make sure there is enough airflow around the leaves by strategically pruning lower leaves as well as ensuring there is enough space between plants.

As well as providing ventilation and stripping off the lower leaves, allowing the tomatoes to have maximum exposure to the sun is crucial.

While sunlight itself doesn't directly fight blight, it is an important factor in overall tomato health and can indirectly help by promoting faster drying of leaves.

Plants need at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight per day for optimal growth and to keep diseases away.

Monty added: "I do not plant my outdoor tomatoes until June. But once they are in the ground, they will grow strongly and need regular tying up.

This is, of course, if you are growing cordon tomatoes rather than bush or determinate varieties. The latter can be propped up rather like an herbaceous plant, rather than tied regularly in.

"As I tie them with soft twine, I pinch out the side shoots and then water them. I do not feed the outdoor ones as our soil is plenty rich enough and they had a good mulch of compost just before planting, but the indoor tomatoes will have a weekly seaweed feed at the same time."