It’s Hard To Say Goodbye: Reader’s Pensacola Beach Oil Photos
June 24, 2010
It was the day that the World’s Whitest Beaches were no more. It was the day that the oil began to wash onto the shores of Pensacola Beach. It was the day the sands were stained black with oil; it was the day the tears of the locals stained the remaining sugar white sand.
It was Wednesday, June 23, 2010. Masses of oil began to wash onto Pensacola Beach from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Walnut Hill resident Regina Hare was there and submitted a gallery of photos for NorthEscambia.com readers. She titled the photos “It’s hard to say goodbye”.
Click here for the photos “It’s hard to say goodbye”.
Submitted photos by Regina Hare for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
On The Trail Again: Century Resident Continues Hike Across Spain
June 24, 2010
We are continuing to follow the journals of Century resident Terri Sanders as she hikes 500 miles across Spain this summer.
As Terri hikes from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France, she will file dispatches from her journal and send pictures when possible for NorthEscambia.com as she hikes the Camino de Santiago — the Way of St. James — to the Atlantic Ocean.
After a bit of a stomach virus setback at an emergency room visit the last time we checked in with Terri, she’s off again….
To read the complete series from day one, click here.
(Make sure you scroll down to read entries from three different days.)
June 9 2010
Start: Narvarrete
Destination: Burgos
We left the hostel this morning and headed for the bus stop. After waiting 45 minutes a gentleman came and told us we were at the wrong bus top. We just made it to the right stop as the bus turned the corner. We put our packs in the luggage storage and hopped on board.
We are jumping forward to Burgos in order to stay on track. My episode at the emergency room and subsequent bed rest has thrown us off. Gratefully Lou hasn’t thrown me away. In fact both he and the hostel owner have been most solicitous. It was rainy and overcast for the two hour ride to Burgos, but we saw some beautiful scenery and small farms. We both agreed that this was a great way to see the scenery. We got into Burgos just before lunch.
I realized that I had left my walking stick back on the bench at the bus station .I am glad I only paid 5 Euros for it. We got our tickets to see the Burgos Cathedral. We grabbed some soup at a little café. We are learning a few words of Spanish and were glad we got what we ordered.
We then went in search of our hostel which is above a small quaint chapel. There are only 16 bunks here, a small kitchen, shower and toilets. After a refreshing nap, we went for a three hour tour of the cathedral. This is my first cathedral and I quickly ran down my camera battery and got a stiff neck to boot.
The self tour was absolutely great; you could stop and stay as long as you wanted in each of the smaller cathedrals that were built hundreds of years ago. It seems that a ruler or a bishop would just add a room onto the original building.
Afterwards we went on an hour tour of the city on a small train. It was another way to see some of the historic places here without lots of walking. We did take a long stroll along one of the many tree lined streets here. There are lots of plazas and we got lost trying to get back to the hostel. We finally found it and then spent some time in prayer and reflection in the small chapel. I lit a candle for a special prayer request. This is the first time I have ever done that even though I spent the first 8 years of my life as a Catholic.
We found another small café for supper which also offered wi fi and we both checked our emails. I found another hiking stick, this one for 4 Euros. Maybe I can keep track of this one. Tomorrow we start walking again. We had doubled up the miles on several days last week in order to get us ahead before I got sick.
We hope to finish in Santiago on the 30 of June. I discovered as I got ready for bed that my silk liner, my wash cloth and pack towel had not made it into my pack. Somewhere in the changing of rooms they were lost .The towel and wash cloth are no big deal I had washed them and hung them out to dry and Lou just didn’t recognize them as mine. The liner however was on top of my bed when I left for the hospital. It was nowhere to be found when we came back, but losing my silk liner is a big deal. It is all I have to sleep under at night. Sometimes the hostels have some blankets, sometimes they do not. I put all of the clothes I have with me on, covered the bottom half of me with Lou’s coat which was partially dry, at least inside and used my coat to cover the rest of me.
Bus miles 90
June 10 2010
Start: Burgos
Destination: Hornillos del Camino
It had started raining last night and continued this morning. We are brave, we are fearful, we are crazy! We packed up then found a small café where we got hot tea and croissants for breakfast. It was drizzling as we walked out later. The book said that today we would have very little shade and it could be a long hot walk.
It would have been had it not been pouring rain. Sometimes the rain came down in sheets and then let up only to hit us with bursts of gusts that kept taking my pack cover and my hat off. After an hour or so we stopped for a cup of hot chocolate. Talk about something tasting good.
Then it was back into the elements for another few hours before we stopped again for hot tea and a snack. It was nice and warm in the cafes which made getting back outside in the rain and wind twice as hard. Somehow I had gotten the towns confused and when we came to the small village of Hornillus del Camino I thought we were breaking for lunch. I thought we had another 2.5 kilometers to go before we were through for the day. This was a nice surprise. The next town was too far away for us to try to make and besides we were both soaking wet and tired of being blasted with rain and wind.
There was a nice fire going in the fireplace and we got our passport stamped. We know have enough stamps in our passports to collect our certificates in Santiago. The albueque was full so we were put over in the overflow room. There is one shower, a bathroom and a room with 7 bunks beds. The room is big enough for 4 bunk beds!
There was a heater by my bed and I got the point across that I wanted her to turn it on. She leaned over the bed, turned the switches and said” Now work.” Thankfully there were blankets on every bed. I grabbed two from close by bunks and prayed no one would come in and need a blanket. A Korean lady gave me hers since she had a sleeping bag. Durn, I used to have a nice sleeping bag, and a silk liner. Oh well!
I changed into dry clothes and lay down to dry and get warm. I thought I would never get my core temperature up to normal. I kept reaching up and messing with the heater knobs to no avail. It took close to an hour before I felt warm again. This group is the quietest group of hikers I have ever been with. Within a couple hours this room was full also and I am glad we got here when we did. We walked down the street to a little café (that is all they have here) and got supper.
I had pasta with tomatoes and breaded hack. Lots of bread and a glass of wine. Of course I couldn’t eat it all so Lou finished it up for me. He was supposed to save the piece of fish for tomorrow’s lunch, but he wolfed it down in a hurry, and then added dessert on top of that. Back in the bunkhouse I climbed under all the blankets and bid Lou good night. An early day for us and a short one.
Miles 12.4
June 11 2010
Start: Hornillus del Camoni
Destination: Castorjeriz
I purposely avoided looking out the window when I got up and packed up.There is no breakfast here so we were going to eat a power bar and hike until we found a nice place for an early lunch.
I groaned when I stepped outside. Once again it was cold, rainy, windy and miserable. But true to our nature we took a deep breath and dove right into the mud and started walking. Today we set a record. We were on the trail by 7:00 am. That is unusual for us since my day doesn’t begin until 8:00am.
So we slogged along eating our power bars and trying in vain to stay dry. Today I wished everyone a Buenos Aqua Camino which means Good Wet Way. And wet it was!
Today we travel the lonely meseta with only the sounds of nature to entertain us. It was too cold to take any breaks so we kept on walking. We got to the town of Hontanos. It had been almost an hour since it had rained and we were celebrating! The first two little bars we came to were full of hungry wet hikers with standing room only.
We plodded on down to the next one, it was the same. We were almost out of town and ready to turn around and go back when Lou stuck his head in the door of a little market. Lou is a big, tall guy and with his pack on he cannot go through most of these small doors. We hit pay dirt.
It was a tiny market but it had a cappuccino machine which said hot chocolate and hot tea to us! Lou took his pack off and we walked in. It felt like heaven! We greeted the manager who was wearing a Michigan State sweatshirt. Lou went to Michigan State. It was warm, dry and had one table and 3 bar stools. And it was empty!
The manager took his sweatshirt off and handed it to me. Oh man oh man what trail magic! The sweatshirt was warm and cozy. I was completed soaked. We started off with a couple homemade muffins, some hot drinks and a couple bananas. This was not a café but a tiny market with fresh produce. We are seating there when Lou spies some fresh eggs. Then he notices that there is a one burner stove against the wall. Well in two shakes of a lamb’s tail Lou had the guy frying up eggs, added bread and jam to the plate and proudly served us! It was a meal fit for a king in our eyes and we were warm and dry.
There is a small hostel here and we met a couple in their thirties that are hiking all over the world. She is from Hungary, he is from California. He sold all he owned two years ago and has been walking ever since. When money runs low, he simply finds a job for a few weeks! As does she. What a nomad life. It sounded good in theory but I am too old for that kind of adventure.
We took a 90 minute break, just talking to these young people and then stepped back out into reality. Cold, wet ,miserable. Just after lunch thankfully the rain stops and we are left with muddy roads, wet bodies and clothes and nothing but farm land to entertain us. Also not trees to hide behind. At one point we split up Lou on one side of the road, me over in some weeds on the other side of the road, taking a potty break.
We have saw very few vehicles all day. Wouldn’t you know it, just as I squatted down, this van comes barreling around the corner. He gets a look of Lou standing close to a tree and immediately turns his head towards the other side of the road. You want to guess what he saw? Yep, you are right, me in a full squat in plain sight of him. I simply did what anyone would do. I waved at him and waved and started laughing so hard I had no trouble finishing the job!
We came to the ruins of an old church and Lou thought it would be a good idea to climb up there and check it out. It would have been had it not been raining and had we taken our packs off first. I handed him my stick to help him up the bank. Then I had visions of him rolling down on top of me, so I made haste back down to the road. He never made it to the top.
We questioned why we didn’t take our packs off first. By early afternoon we had not had any rain for several hours. As we hiked into our hometown for the night, we passed a pilgrim taking on the phone. He caught up with us a while later and told me he recognized me. It was the hiker I ran into back in Pamplona.
I told him he was famous, and he asked why? I said because of us meeting two weeks ago in the motel. I said no because you wouldn’t let you granddaughter drive me to St.Jean. We hiked into the town of Castrojeriz and found the municipal hostel. Twenty five bunks in a room, six twin mattresses on the floor, shower, and a microwave. All for a donation. We grabbed two places on the floor and unpacked our stuff.
I would have taken a hot shower except I had no towel. On the Appalachian Trail the longest I went without a shower was 11 days. Maybe I will set a new record. I do have some little soaped disposable wipes. I wash the 3 main important places, in the right order mind you and say I am clean. There are blankets on the bed though, so I know I will be warm. There is a faint piece of blue sky outside so we hope for dry weather tomorrow. There is an outfitters here (town of 1,000) so after his manana time which is between 2 and 4 pm I will go and check out the sleeping bags and a towel!
Miles 13.4
Still Time To Register For Camp Fire VPK
June 23, 2010
Voluntary pre-kindergarten registration is still underway for the 2010-2011 school year the the Camp Fire USA Century Youth Learning Center. For more information about VPK, contact Pam Townson at (850) 256-0953. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Hiking Spain: Zero Day, Trip To The ER
June 21, 2010
We are continuing to follow the journals of Century resident Terri Sanders as she hikes 500 miles across Spain this summer.
As Terri hikes from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France, she will file dispatches from her journal and send pictures when possible for NorthEscambia.com as she hikes the Camino de Santiago — the Way of St. James — to the Atlantic Ocean.
Today, read about “Zero Day” and a trip to the emergency room.
June 7 and 8, 2010
Start; Narvarrete
Zero day
Everything was okay when I went to bed last night. It was around 8 and when I woke up again the lights were all out so I knew it was after 10:00 since the hostel closes at 10:00. I had the most awful case of indigestion and I took the Tums that I had stuck under my pillow before I went to bed. I usually do that so if I wake up with heartburn, I don’t have to rattle around in my pack for the bottle with the Tums in it. I went ahead and got up and went to the bathroom then came and got back up in my bunk.
After about thirty minutes I was hurting so bad in my stomach I got up again and went in the bathroom. I stayed in there on the floor hung over the toilet for the next 5 hours at least. I would throw up, try to lie down on the cool tile floor but no matter what I did I could not get rid of the excruciating pain in my stomach. It was close to daylight when I finally crawled back into my bunk.
I waited until hikers started stirring around and I saw Lou sit up. I whispered to him “Lou, I need to go to the hospital.”
He shot up the rest of the way out of bed and headed off to the bathroom. He said later that I scared the mess out of him. A real good laxative effect first thing in the morning, better than a cup of coffee and quicker too!
I explained to him what was going on and he went in search of the hostel manager. They loaded me up in his car and within minutes I was at the emergency room. It was exactly where I needed to be except that they spoke no English and I hurt so bad I couldn’t have spoken Spanish if I had of known any to speak. We slowly went through all the usual questions which took forever with the age barrier.
Given my age I guess they wanted to make sure I was not having a heart attack because rather quickly I had an EKG hooked up to me. No I didn’t have gall bladder problems, no I was not pregnant, no, I didn’t snort cocaine. I gave them a list of the medications I was on. The whole time they are talking to Lou like I wasn’t even in the room. They would ask him a question; he would turn to me and ask me the question. I would answer him, and he would relate the answer to them.
I got a shot for pain, two prescriptions, an EKG and blood work, with a final diagnosis of I had a mild case of food poisoning. All this set me back 174 Euros.
I was worried they were going to take my appendix or my gall bladder or give me a hysterectomy before I got out of there. The thing is, is that I would have probably gone along with it because I was in so much pain even though I have already had a hysterectomy!
I have a pretty high pain tolerance anyway, but nothing, not even natural delivery childbirth hurt like this. I have had food poisoning twice and it didn’t hurt anything like this. The shot began to numb the pain and they decided to let me go without doing any incisions on me.
Everyone had already packed up and left by the time I got back. I laid down on a bunk, Lou covered me up and the next thing I knew several hours had pasted and he was waking me up. We were moving into a more private room so I could rest and not be disturbed. I vaguely remember the doctor saying something about lots of rest and having no energy for a few days.
They tucked me back into bed with Lou assuring me he had gotten all of my laundry I had down last night and hung outside. I woke up 6 hours later and ate some scrambled eggs Lou fixed, then went back to sleep. By evening I was more awake but felt like a truck had hit me. I managed to stay awake and finish the book I was carrying. I didn’t have any kind of an appetite but managed to eat a tangerine. We had to make plans to try and catch up the missed days so if all goes okay and I am up to a bus ride we will jump ahead tomorrow.
Of course I feel horrible about this setting us back but Lou says quit worrying. It very well could have been him.
Mile 0.0
Hot First Day Of Summer (With Cool Bee Photos)
June 21, 2010
Pictured: Bees enjoying our NorthEscambia.com crepe myrtles. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
A Father’s Day Miracle: Family Speaks About 3-Year Old’s Near Drowning
June 20, 2010
In the heart of every little girl, her daddy is her hero. For a 3-year old Walnut Hill girl found floating lifeless face down in a pool, her daddy truly is her hero.
“I can swim,” Maggie Scott, 3, proclaimed Saturday morning, as she showed off her new kittens Max and Ruby.
Like most adventurous children, Maggie thought she could swim, and she decided, when no one was looking, to try. It was a mistake that would alter the lives of her family in a major way.
The afternoon of May 27 was to be a family time. They were headed to a local creek to enjoy the water, but decided to stop at a someone’s home in the Bay Springs community to use the pool instead. Maggie had played in the pool with the rest of her family, wearing arm-floats.
When Maggie and her sisters — McKenzie, 13; Madison, 9; and Mary Paige, 7; were done in the pool, it was time for skateboards and Ripstiks. The girls hit the boards, while the adults sat around talking.
Life would change in the blink of an eye.
“Maggie’s dead!”
Those were the heart-stopping words that older sister McKenzie screamed when she saw Maggie, floating face down in the pool. Mom and dad, Blair and Chad Scott, raced for the pool. Blair dove in and pulled Maggie out. No one knew how long the little girl had been in the pool.
Chad started CPR.
“My mind went where it didn’t need to go while I watched him do CPR,’ Blair said, “knowing what could be happening.”
With every thrust on his daughter’s chest, Chad said he just prayed.
“I keep telling her to come back to us; I kept telling her she was fine,” Blair said. “I wanted the nightmare to end; I wanted God to bring my little girl back to me.”
Chad continued CPR. One. Two. Three..
“Then I realized I had three little girls standing there, not knowing what was going on. Hit your knees. And pray,” she told them. “They cried, they screamed, they prayed.”
Chad continued the CPR. Breathe. Chest compressions. One. Two. Three…
Then, there was a cough.
Volunteers from the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue arrived. Atmore Ambulance sped down the long driveway. LifeFlight landed. Maggie was quickly scooped up by a LifeFlight nurse who ran to the helicopter. Within minutes, she was at Sacred Heart. Blair and Scott were left behind in Bay Springs, not knowing what was happening with their little girl. A family friend drove them to the hospital, where Maggie was still in the emergency room. She was transferred to an intensive care room.
It was a serious situation. A ventilator breathed for Maggie for 28 hours, doctors and nurses standing nearby at the ready. It was a lot for a mom and dad to deal with.
Blair and Chad both knew at the time that Maggie could have permanent disabilities caused by the lack of oxygen to her brain.
“We just gave it to God,” Blair said. Their family, their church family…they all prayed. They were joined by perhaps thousands of people they will never know that prayed after reading Maggie’s story.
Miracles don’t just happen, Chad said. “God works miracles.”
There’s no doubt in Blair and Chad’s minds that there lives were changed in a big way by the whole ordeal. For Chad, it meant being saved and accepting his Savior all over again.
“I thought I got saved before, but I realized,” he said, “and I made a promise to do what He needs me to do.”
A few weeks after the accident, Maggie is a vibrant little girl, with no obvious lasting impact from her ordeal.
“We have blueberries,” she said Saturday morning as she walked through the family’s backyard in search of a cool, shady place for the photos on this page. “They are purple,” she observed. “They are not blue.”
She smiles and grabs a dandelion, blowing it into the wind toward Chad, very much to her delight. It was a prelude to her big Father’s Day plans.
“Guess what I am going to do to you for Father’s Day?” she asked Chad. Her grin grew bigger as she put her hands behind her back and twirled around. “I’m going to throw a flower at you!”
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
The family specifically asked us to offer their thanks to: the Walnut Hill Fire Department (Chris Brown, Kevin Mininger, Dennis Rigby, Gerry Steege, Tab Jernigan, Bill Eubanks, Brian Rolin, Chad Rigby, Johnathon Koehn, Diann Stewart); Atmore Ambulance (Dianna Chavers, Tom Benner); and the LifeFlight Crew (Tom Bruner, Angie Finkel, Norman Lacsamana).
Northview Grad Timothy Gardner Graduates From Basic Training
June 20, 2010
Air Force Airman Timothy J. Gardner graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.
The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.
Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.
He is the grandson of Micheal and Carolyn Cook of Corley Road in McDavid.
Gardner is a 2008 graduate of Northview High School.
Music Major Kate Sherrill Honored At Faulkner State
June 20, 2010
Kate Elizabeth Sherrill was named sophomore music major of the year at Faulkner State Community College’s annual award banquet held at the Bienville Club in Mobile. Kate was also awarded the Faulkner Singer’s award. Sherrill recently graduated Summa Cum Laude from Faulkner State. She will be continuing her studies in vocal music at Berry College in Rome, GA. Kate is the daughter of Kent and Anne Sherrill of Walnut Hill, FL and the grandaughter of Sam and Dean Graham and the late Hunk and Senie Sherrill all of Atmore.
Father’s Day Wishes
June 20, 2010
For Father’s Day, NorthEscambia.com invited our readers to submit stories about their fathers. We’ve selected a few and included them below.
If you would like to tell your father’s story, or just wish dad a (late) Happy Father’s Day, please do so in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
Jeff Phillips, Barrineau Park
submitted by Kayla Phillips, Age 9
My Daddy Jeff Phillips is very special to me. These are my reasons.
He plays with me, he teaches me, and I think he is cool.
One of my reasons that my daddy is special is because he plays with me. He plays softball with me all the time. He even helped coach my team one time. Sometimes we play baseball outside its really fun. I love my daddy because he plays with me that is what makes him special to me.
My second reason my daddy is special is because he teaches me. He teaches me to do the right things, and its really important that I learn to do the right things. He helps me keep my grades up because I want to be in a good school. Plus I also need a good education and I am sure he will help me while I go into new grades.
My third reason why my daddy is special because I think he is cool. I think he has a cool job. He works on boats and I think that is awesome and he also does alot so we can have our house and pay the bills. I also think he is cool because I love him and he loves me.
Pictured: Kayla and Jeff Phillips.
Matthew Cufr, Century
submitted by Maggie Mae Cufr, Age 6½
Let me tell you about my dad. First, he plays Chinese Checkers with me. I am not good at it. He wins all the time.
It’s funny sometimes that I move my marble the wrong way.
Next, he teaches me how to play guitar. He teaches me a hard note.
I can’t even remember it. I can’t do it, but I can play the easy notes and sing a song.
Last, my dad helps me ride my bike. Sometimes I stay up for about two minutes.
That made me feel good. When he lets go of the bike, I fall down and get hurt on my hand, but not anymore. I’m getting gloves.
That is why my dad is special.
Pictured: (L-R) Maggie Mae Cufr, Jackson Anderson Cufr, Emma Faith Cufr and dad Matthew Cufr.
Randy Smith
He’s is the best dad ever. He goes and makes money for shopping money for food. He loves us so very much. My dad’s name is Randy Smith. I love you daddy.
John White, Century
submitted by Kimberly White Burkett
My daddy is such a special person. He has always been so unselfish giving of himself to be there for our mother and us children. Just to think of my daddy puts a smile in my heart and on my face.
Growing up I have only good memories of my dad. He worked shift work at the paper mill in Brewton and worked hard to provide for our family. Not once can I remember hearing my dad complain even though I know it had to be a hard job. Daddy retired from the mill after working there 39 years.
Now my daddy stays busy doing honey do’s for my mom and works hard at his church. Every Saturday morning you can pass Beulah Chapel in Byrneville and you will see my daddy faithfully working hard to keep the church grounds and cemetery nice and clean. Once again though, I have never once heard him complain.
When I tell him that I worry about him getting too hot out there doing that, he just smiles and says he does it for the Lord. Everyone that knows my dad knows that when you see him he will make you laugh with his sense of humor. What a special man, I am so blessed to have such a wonderful daddy that I can be so proud of.
Pictured: John White and his wife Ann White, grandson Johnathan Burkett.
Wayne Perry, Molino
submitted by Lynsey Perry
We want to wish our Father Wayne Perry Happy Father’s Day. He is the best Father my brother Wayne and I could ask for. He has always been there for us. We can always depend on him no matter what. If he makes us a promise, he always keeps it. He is smart, strong, funny and dependable. We are so lucky to have him in our lives.
We enjoy spending time with our dad. He is fun to just be around. He is always making jokes about things or talking about all the memories he has of us growing up. He is always making memories for us too. It is a treasure to spend time with him. I’m so lucky to be so close to my Father. A lot of kids don’t have that bond with their Father. I don’t see how a kid could not have their Father around. I could not imagine not having mine in my life.
His main goal in life is to make us happy. He always puts us first, instead of himself. He would do and has done anything for us. He tries to make sure we have a safe and happy life. He has made me the strong and independent person that I am. He always makes us feel safe when we are with him.
If you were to ask him how he would like to spend this special day he would be quick to tell you nothing would make him happier than to spend the whole day with his two kids and wife. He always says we are the best thing that ever happened to him. But the truth is he is the best thing that ever happened to us.
If you think that I am a Daddy’s girl, then yes, I am proud to say that I am. We love you Daddy and hope that we make you half as happy as you make all of us.
Pictured: Wayne Perry, Sr., Wayne Perry, Jr., Lynsey Perry.
Mike Helton, Richard Stuckey, Bruce Shue, Adam Respress
submitted by Michelle Shue
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!!! I would like to personally wish a happy Father’s Day to my dad Mike Helton he is a super person and a wonderful provider for his family he has three daughters and has always been there to support all of us…Happy Father’s Day daddy! I love you Michelle
Happy Father’s Day to my stepdad Richard Stuckey. He is currently serving in Afghanistan we all love and miss you and can’t wait till you return home!
Happy Father’s Day to my husband Bruce Shue. He is a wonderful dad to all of his children!!!
Happy Father’s Day to my son on his very first Father’s Day! Have a wonderful day Adam!!
Learn How To Troubleshoot Tomato Problems
June 20, 2010
There’s a reason why farmers and avid gardeners watch the weather so closely. Climatic conditions such as temperature, rainfall and humidity can greatly influence which disorders are likely to affect a crop.
Currently, conditions exist that are ideal for several tomato disorders. If you are growing tomato plants, be on the lookout for blossom-end rot and late blight.
A dark water-soaked area on the blossom end of the tomato may indicate a calcium deficiency
The uptake of calcium from the soil by the plant can be reduced by fluctuations in soil moisture – either excessively wet soil or excessively dry soil. Fluctuations in soil moisture may cause blossom-end rot.
Prevent blossom-end rot by maintaining a soil pH around 6.5 and uniform soil moisture by irrigating and mulching, and avoid heavy applications of nitrogen.
If you do experience blossom-end rot, spray the plant’s foliage with 2 level tablespoons of 96 percent calcium chloride in 1 gallon of water at seven to 10-day intervals. Several convenient “stop-rot” products are available at local garden centers. Begin spraying with the first appearance of symptoms. Overdosing plants with calcium chloride may result in leaf burn. Spray on cloudy days or wait until the sun is low.
Blossom-end rot
Blossom-end rot is a common problem on tomatoes but can also occur on peppers, squash, and watermelons. It is more common on fruit that is one-third to one-half grown, and it occurs on the blossom end of the fruit. It is not a disease but a calcium deficiency.
As the tomato develops, water moves rapidly into the developing fruit. However, calcium moves slowly in plants and even slower into the fruit. Calcium is an important component in plant cells and a lack of calcium will result in small, water-soaked spots that develop into dark brown, leathery spots that may involve half the fruit.
Late blight
Late blight is a disease caused by a fungus. It is best known as the disease that was responsible for the Irish potato famine in the mid-nineteenth century. It affects many plants in the Solanaceae family, including tomato, potato, pepper, and eggplant.
Since the pathogen does not survive in the soil, it usually enters the garden on infected transplants or live spores that are blown in with wind or rain. It spreads most rapidly during moderate temperatures (60° to 80°F) and high moisture conditions such as rain, fog, heavy dews or high relative humidity.
Recent climatic conditions have caused an outbreak of late blight in southeast Louisiana.
On tomato leaves, the symptoms of late blight initially consist of light brown to purplish spots that rapidly enlarge to purplish, blighted areas. Early in the morning and under wet conditions, a white growth of the fungus may be visible on the lower leaf surface. Stems may become infected, as well, with large purple to black sections that make stems look as if they were burned.
Several preventative and control measures are required.
- Scouting: regularly inspect your tomato plants and try to catch this disease as soon as possible to prevent its spread.
- Sanitation: eliminate infected plants as soon as the disease is identified.
- Applying fungicides: spray plants on a regular basis with fungicides such as chlorothalonil, mancozeb, copper or a combination of mancozeb plus copper. When using the mixture of mancozeb and copper, allow it to sit for about 30 minutes before spraying and stir it frequently. Chlorothalonil may be used up to and including the day of harvest, whereas mancozeb cannot be used within five days of harvest. Because these fungicides are protectants only, thorough spray coverage is essential for control.
With any luck, warmer weather will slow this disease but gardeners should keep an eye on their prized tomato plants.
For more information, contact Theresa Friday at 850-623-3868 or email tlfriday@ufl.edu. Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.