CHOOSE YOUR PLANTS

Look for these disease-resistant varieties as seed or seedlings. Seedlings offered as premium or sold in larger punnets are often varieties selected for disease resistance. Not all are new varieties, as some heritage varieties also have good disease resistance.

BEANS

Beans are generally easy to grow but may be affected by blight and rust. Problem 1 Bacterial blight Resistant variety Hawkesbury Wonder (a dwarf bean)

Problem 2 Rust

Resistant variety Stringless Pioneer (a dwarf bean)

BROCCOLI

Broccoli grows best in cool conditions so look out for heat-tolerant varieties such as Summer Green for summer growing. Problem White rust

Resistant variety Marathon

CARROT

Carrots can be affected by virus disease. Problem Virus

Resistant varieties All Seasons, Topweight, Western Red

CUCUMBER

Long cucumbers are generally less disease prone than the round or apple-shaped varieties.

Problem Downy mildew, powdery mildew

Resistant variety Burpless

EGGPLANT

Eggplants prefer a long, warm growing season. In areas with short seasons, dwarf varieties with small fruit provide a faster crop.

Problem Short season, disease Resistant variety Fairy Tale

LETTUCE

Lettuce can bolt to seed in hot weather, and hearting varieties may be affected by mildew.

Problem Downy mildew

Resistant variety Greenway

ROCKMELON

Mildews affect leaves of many melons. Problem Powdery mildew Resistant variety Hales Best

SPINACH

Spinach likes cool conditions. In warm areas, grow as a winter or early spring crop. Although little goes wrong with spinach, there are varieties with good disease resistance.

Problem Downy mildew

Resistant variety Lazio

TOMATO

Several diseases can affect tomatoes. Varieties bred to resist disease and those that show good overall disease resistance include KY1 (an Australian heirloom), Pink Pearl, Summerstar, Tomatoberry and grafted plants. Problem 1 Bacterial wilt

Resistant variety Summertaste Problem 2 Blights (including early blight, late blight)

Resistant varieties Brandywine, Green Zebra (late blight), Legend

(late blight), Roma (late blight), Tigerella (late blight)

Problem 3 Fusarium wilt, verticillium wilt

Resistant varieties Ferline,

Roma VF, Sungold, Sweet Million Problem 4 Tomato mosaic virus Resistant variety Sweet Million

WATERMELON

Mildews affect the leaves of many melons but there are also other diseases to avoid.

Problem Anthracose, fusarium wilt Resistant variety Candy Red

FROM OPPOSITE Green Zebra tomatoes have distinctive colouring; Hawkesbury Wonder is a dwarf bean variety; sweet Tigerella tomatoes are relatively small with a sweet avour.

FROM ABOVE A vine heavy with Fairy Tale eggplants; freshly harvested Western Red carrots.