Potato/tomato blight!

[Dodders88]

Hi,

was just after some advice, I grew my potatoes in pots this year and they were right next to the polytunnel door so both tomatoes and potatoes have blight can the soil in the potato pots be put onto the veg path and dug in to use again or what do I do with it. Also does the soil in the polytunnel need any special treatment to make sure blight doesn't attack next year?

Thanks

[Jungle Jane]

If you want to grow tomatoes in the same place again,avoiding crop rotation after blight,I would dig some soil out of the polytunnel that's had your tomatoes in & replace with some soil that hasn't had tomatoes or potatoes growing in it. Ive been growing sweetcorn where I had a bit of blight last year so didn't do anything to the soil,just planted the corn. Your potato compost will be good to use in a area you're growing beans,onions anything other than the tomato family. Blight conditions can occur every year,alot of it is luck & ventilation etc. Welcome to forum

[Thelma Sanders]

Rotation is always a good plan, but blight spores don't overwinter in the soil anyway.

So it's quite safe to use the soil from your potato pots elsewhere on the veg patch. You could try hanging fine mesh fabric over the door way - letting air in but to some extent, stopping blight getting in on wind and rain. Unless of course you grow stuff that wants insect pollination.