blighted potatoes!!

[phil the shed]

have been turning over last years potato patch ready to brassica it later in the year and have found nigh on 20kgs of desiree and a white i planted cant recollect what. anyhow was i surprised i mean the whole site suffered badly with blight and i was affected to leaf damage and rotting stems. now my problem is having sorted these taters out the only bad ones seem to have frost damage not any issue with blight spotting or tuber damage from blight.

so should i eat them or not?
would the grapes here eat them?
advice please

[crichmond]

If they are in good condition then eat them, but as it is also time for chitting I would keep some for chitting and replanting, why pay for seed pots if you have some already.

cheers Chris

PS. there is the possiblity that they will have the blight spores in them but I would try growing them if it was me.

[terrier]

If they look in good condition I would eat them but I certainly would not risk replanting them for another crop. The idea of using 'seed' potatoes is that they in theory carry no virus infection as a virus is not passed on via seed. If you use your Desiree as seed you increase the risk of problems. If you want to use them as seed, plant them in buckets/pots, but not in the ground.

[Norm]

Yo Phil, I have to side with Terrier on this one. Eat 'em, don't plant 'em

[crichmond]

Sorry I guess I should have said that I grow lots of mine in tubs, if you cant grow them in tubs just eat them.

[Snadger]

Blight shows up in the potato which either rots or is discoloured inside. If yours are ok inside they will be ok to eat!

[phil the shed]

good news all i have cut a couple open and
not a blemish or mark of rot inside or out
will let you know if they are eating well.

i don't think i will plant any as i have all my potatoes ready or in

[Flummery]

I had a bed of the autumn planted Carlingford potatoes at my old allotment years ago, which got cut down by blight. The following spring I had a really good harvest from a bed I'd given up on. Just shows that you never know what Nature's up to when you aren't looking!

[Nicos]

What a nice surprise!
I've run out of spuds now, and the last few were getting a bit soft - looks like you've done better at storing than most of us!

[vegnut]

Eat them all. YuM. Blight doesn't affect humans, so if they look good, scoff em.