Potato problems

[Mozart321]

Hi all

Please somebody help! I've not been allotmenting for long and seem to have a problem with potatoes and tomatoes on my plot - mosat but not all of the potatoes are effected but all the tomatoes look compoletely dead (only qabout 4/5 plants in total)
I have put some photos of them on here.

Thanks!

Mozart321.

[shirlthegirl43]

Did you get a frosty night?

[Flummery]

I have to agree with Shirl that they look like they've had a hard frost. The tom certainly won't recover but there might be enough on the spud to continue growing - you will just get your crop a little later.

[Mozart321]

Thank you for that. I wouldn't have thought it was frosty - the plot is in Sidcup - butr it has been chilly.

[gojiberry]

How long did it take for them to go from healthy to what they look like in the picture. If it happened overnight then it is definitly frost. If it happened over a few days it could well be blight, although blight tends to be more of a grey black colour. Have you got any other tender plants out like courgettes or marrows. If you have and they were not affected then it rules out the frost theory.

Ian

gojilottie updated 27 May 08

[Two_Sheds]

It's not blight!
Your potatoes have started to regrow, so it is almost definitely frost that's done the tops in. Cut them off.

As to your tomato ... it looks pretty terminal, take it out. I am guessing you put it straight outside with no hardening off period ?

[Mozart321]

Thank you for all of your advise. I hardened off the tomatoes for about 2-3 weeks, they were on the windowsill, then on the windowsill with the window open for increasing periods. Then they were in the cold frame (with it opened for increasing periods) then in the garden in pots for more than a week before being taken to the allotment. The ones in my garden are still OK.
Thanks again.
Mozart321.

[Norm]

Not wishing to be awkward, but has anyone at the allotment been spraying weedkiller? It's just that I did my plots 3 weeks ago and I'll be rotavating today ready to plant the plot up this wekend and it all looks like this. Just a thought.

[Two_Sheds]

if it was glyphosate, the plants around it would also be affected.

[Nicos]

I'd bet on frost.
It only need to go down to 4C for frost to hit.
Add wind chill and frost pockets to the equation too....

[Arachne]

Thank you for that. I wouldn't have thought it was frosty - the plot is in Sidcup - butr it has been chilly.

We did have frost last week sometime - before all the rain in the world started falling

Whereabouts in Sidcup are you? My lottie's on Knoll Road...