Potatoes - Need Help Please

[Stuart1967]

Can anyone give me advise.

I have just started growing potato's they were doing well and are due to be harvested at Christmas.

This week the leaves seem to have withered and I have black marks on the leaves.

Thanks

[Jeanied]

Where abouts are you in the country, first?
Second, where abouts are you growing your potatoes - outside or in a greenhouse?

[Stuart1967]

Hi

Thank you for the response.

I live in the North West of UK. The potatoes are being grown in large containers outside.

I am new to this and its the first time i've starting growing my own produce.

Thanks

[Jeanied]

The potato leaves go black for two reasons that I know about, if they are being grown outside. The first is frost. The second is blight.
If there are only a few black marks, cut the leaves off and hope the potato plants recover. They will need fleece over them if they are outside.

[Two_Sheds]

I have just started growing potato's they were doing well and are due to be harvested at Christmas.

They need to be under cover at this time of year. Spuds are a tender crop (from S.America)

[Stuart1967]

The problem is also that they have wilted over the past week is this to do with the blight

[Jeanied]

Have a look at this thread - there are a few more if you go to the search button at the top and put in 'potato blight'

[tattieman]

I had a guy tell me the same thing on Saturday. His got struck by blight. He had them planted for 10 weeks and he has got a wonderful crop of new sized potatoes.

[chriscross1966]

Wilting generally isn't blight, it's cold, or possibly drought (unlikely in the North West....) Late Blight makes rapidly expanding black patches on leaves and stems.... Christmas potatoes really need to be coming indoors before the weather starts putting out nights at 7 degrees or less, down here in Swindon my Christmas spuds will be going into the polytunnel this weekend (now the tomatoes and most of the other stuff is out)....