Last year, I accidentally introduced bacterial leaf spot into the pepper beds in my own community garden plot and the Derwood Demo Garden, probably through infected seed. BLS is a common disease of peppers that spreads quickly in warm, humid weather (a.k.a. our summers) and can be devastating to an entire crop, especially in small gardens. Lesions on leaves expand until the foliage drops; lesions on fruits make them unattractive though still edible. Cooler, drier weather (the kind we mostly don’t get) can slow or even stop the disease, but otherwise, the only solution once it really gets going is to pull the plants. Trash them, don’t compost them, because while the disease doesn’t linger long in soil, it can last quite a while in plant debris. This also means that garden cleanup is important. Read more about BLS and how to prevent and manage it here.
