Resistant varieties are the best practical way to manage these three diseases. The wilt diseases also damage the roots, causing plants to wilt. Rotate the location of the crops to avoid insects, nematodes and diseases. Bradshaw cautions that tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and potatoes are all from the same family, so each has to be rotated to a different part of the garden. As a part of the rotation, use nematode-resistant cover crops in winter and summer.
Cover crops break the nematode and disease cycles.
These crops also build nutrients and add organic matter. Velvet beans, a summer legume, can have a positive effect on crop responses for two to three years. Place each tomato plant five feet apart, so insects can't spread in an epidemic. Space between plants also keeps foliage from holding high humidity and stimulating fungus life. Bradshaw puts his tomato plants 20 feet apart and plants other crops in between.