1. Choose resistant or tolerant varieties 
   The easiest and most important way to manage plant diseases is to choose resistant or tolerant varieties. The letter abbreviations used to describe the resistance of a variety (e.g., VF = Verticillium and Fusarium wilt resistant, PM = powdery mildew resistant or tolerant) are listed in seed catalogs.
               
   Resistant varieties resist infection by a particular disease agent and show little or no disease. Tolerant varieties may show symptoms but still yield the same as resistant varieties or susceptible ones protected with pesticides. When available, choose varieties that are resistant or tolerant to a disease that previously has been a problem. 
              
2. Purchase seeds treated with a fungicide
   Seed may come pre-treated with a dusting of a fungicide, or you may dust the seed with an appropriate fungicide, which is clearly labeled for this use according to the directions on the LABEL.
   This coating will help prevent the seed from rotting in the soil prior to germination and can also help protect the newly emerging seedling from "damping off". If seed rot or damping off have been problems in your garden, then treating the seed with a fungicide may be helpful.  
              
3. Purchase disease-free seed and transplants
   Begin with healthy plant material to help plants become quickly established in the garden. Plant materials that are unhealthy at the start never yield as much as healthy ones or may die while still young.
               
   Reputable seed companies sell only disease-free plant materials. Some seeds are hot water treated to kill infectious agents such as spores or bacteria that may be carried on the seed coat. Some are tested to reduce the risk of seed-borne viruses.
               
   When shopping for transplants or other propagating material, take time to thoroughly examine the plant stock to make sure it is healthy and vigorous.
               
   If you save your own seed, harvest it from healthy plants and dry it thoroughly before storing. Store the seed in properly labeled, airtight containers in a cool, dry place.
              
4. Select a sunny, well-drained site
   A sunny area with well-drained soil is an ideal site for vigorous growth of garden plants. Shaded, poorly drained areas result in the growth of weak and spindly plants that are easy targets for disease organisms. Even if such plants remain alive and free of infectious disease, they will not yield as much as strong and burly plants.
              
5. Improve the soil environment
   When there is no other choice for a garden site but a heavy, wet soil, plant in raised beds or ridged rows so the soil around the plants' roots will be drier. Heavy wet soils discourage healthy root growth and encourage root rots.When a garden is established on sloped terrain, plant in terraced beds to reduce soil erosion over delicate,

   Tomato plants mulched with shredded leaves and black plastic

   young plants and newly sown seed.Soils that are dry and sandy may be mulched with a variety of materials (straw, grass clippings, black plastic, etc.) to help retain moisture.
   A soil environment that is favorable to healthy root development will support the growth of healthy plants.
              
6. Water and feed plants
   Most vegetable gardens require one inch of rainfall per week for best growth. If rainfall is inadequate, water the garden. Water plants in the morning so they will dry off quickly above ground, reducing the chances of spreading diseases. Try to avoid using overhead sprinkler irrigation because it can promote the development and spread of leaf, flower, and fruit infections. Trickle irrigation is best because it puts water directly in the root zone, does not wet the plants above ground, nor encourage soil splashing.
               
   Plants that are fertilized properly at planting time and later as a sidedress will grow better and healthier. We recommend using Espoma Plant-tone or Garden-tone and  incorporating a well-rotted manure or rich compost into the soil. Avoid over-fertilization with chemical fertilizers because this can injure plant roots directly.  
              
7. Space plants to allow air circulation
   High humidity and moisture favor the development of diseases. Allowing enough room for plants to grow and space for air to circulate around the mature plants reduces the humidity and promotes rapid drying of plant surfaces. This in turn helps reduce disease incidence.
              
8. Practice cleanliness in the garden
   Work in the garden when plants are dry because moisture on plants aids the spread of infectious diseases. Always remove plant materials that show signs of a disease and destroy them or place them in the trash. Composting, unless the pile becomes very hot, does not effectively destroy plant pathogens. For this reason it is unwise to compost diseased plant material. At the end of the growing season clean up all crop debris because disease agents often overwinter in this plant material and can infect new plants the following season.
              

9. Clover is commonly planted as a cover crop.

   Plant a fall cover crop and plow it under in the spring
   After cleaning up the garden, sow a cover crop, like perennial rye, which will begin to grow that fall. This cover crop will protect the top soil from erosion during the winter months. The following spring plow in the cover crop to enrich the soil with fresh organic matter or "green manure".
               
   This practice also helps reduce the populations of certain soil-borne disease agents. Other, non-infectious, agents flourish on the green manure in the soil and tend to inhibit the infectious ones. Read more about cover crops. 
              
10. Rotate your crops in the vegetable garden
    

    Disease in the garden can be reduced through crop rotation.

    Successive planting of one crop family in the same area over many seasons promotes the buildup of disease agents in the soil. Thus, disease becomes more severe over time. Rotate plants to different areas of the garden to help reduce the losses due to soil-borne disease agents. Avoid successive planting within crop families or crop types such as crucifers (cabbage, broccoli, turnip, radish, etc.), cucurbits (melon, cucumber, squash, etc.), solanaceous (tomato, eggplant, potato, pepper), grasses (sweet corn, cover crops such as rye), legumes (bean, pea), and root crops (carrot, beet, onion). Read more ... 

What is a microclimate?
Microclimates are small (relatively) areas in the landscape that have conditions which differ from the overall climate of a region. It is basically climate on a small scale!   

Taking advantage of the different microclimates that exist on your property will allow you to expand and diversify your landscape plan. Sometimes they allow you to grow plants that are normally not hardy in your area.

Where are they?
Microclimates can affect any element of climate: temperature, light, moisture, humidity, or wind. They can be either naturally occurring or artificially created.  

For example: 

• Southern and western exposures are hotter, brighter, and drier in summer and also warmer in winter. 
• Northern and eastern exposures are generally cooler and shadier 
• A good cover of high quality mulch will stabilize soil temperatures in winter preventing the freeze-thaw that causes heaving of plants from the soil. 

• A south facing brick wall creates warmer conditions.

  Windbreaks created by walls or hedges protect plants from physical injury and also damage due to moisture loss from drying winds. 
• South facing brick walls and rock walls not only provide a windbreak but they absorb heat during the day and radiate it back at night protecting tender plants from frost and extending the growing season. 
• The area under the eaves of the house is shielded from rainfall and becomes almost desert-like. 

• To protect against winter kill, apply a 3" blanket of mulch and remember to irrigate in the winter during periods of dry weather when the soil is not frozen.   
• Another safe guard is to spray your evergreens with Bonide Wilt Stop, a natural, organic anti-desiccant which will protect them all winter.

Be an observant gardener!
The most important advice is to try and choose the right plants for all areas of your landscape. Take the time to note the patterns and timing of sun and shade, the direction of prevailing winds, the areas where frost is slow to melt, and other factors related to microclimate.