Potato - What went wrong?

[MrC]

Hello everybody

This year we have started to grow veg in our back yard - potato's, carrots, beans and tomato's.

The potato's when cut in half look odd - the wife wont eat them.

Can anybody shed light on why they have gone like this - and whether they are safe to eat?

There were grown in bags - about 24" high and 18" diameter.

Photo attached

[reetnproper]

Hi MrC,

I don't have an answer for you but there are a lot of members with vast amounts of experience who are sure to be able to help you, when they 'pop in' later on. I just wanted to say hello and welcome to the Vine

Reet
x

[Aberdeenplotter]

What variety of spud?

[Snadger]

Looks a bit like blight to me.............but i ain't an authority as I very rarely suffer from it!

[Aberdeenplotter]

I'm not so sure it's blight unless it is the very early stages. Blight usually results in horrible smelly goo.

[rustylady]

Possibly early stages of this? Pests and Diseases Quick Reference : Internal pigmentation

[bethduckie]

Oh Rustylady, that's fab... one of my rows was more squashed in than the rest, and had a very slight discolouration (less than the photo) that I did wonder about- the more spaced out rows didn't have this. However it didn't smell and the spuds tasted brilliant so I didn't think it could be the dreaded blight.

I've had to pull up all my brother's tomato plants once when he was on holiday, and blight is just the most gag-worthy smell imaginable... ugh!

Plus you see bl;ight on the plants before it gets to the tubers, don't you? What were the plants like?

[Potstubsdustbins]

I am no expert on blight but I do believe it would show on the skin as well/before reaching the inside of the tuber.

As they were grown in containers this could be the start of hollow heart caused by a lack of water in a dry spell followed by a prolonged wet spell. Therfore my first question would be did you keep them well watered during the early dry spell this year. Remembering that a container that size would require at least a gallon a day whilst the tubers are forming.

Colin

[MrC]

Thanks for all the replies

They were maris bard. The plants were big and strong and healthy looking. When they died back I cut them off and left for 2 weeks before getting the spuds.

We think we were pretty vigilant on watering as we had all the other veg to do as well. I tended to empty a whole watering can between the 3 bags we had. When it was very hot they got morning and evening watering as they were in a sunny location.

It was only the big potato's that seemed to be affected, those bigger than your fist.

Is there a correlation between size and age? So the older ones had some trauma, rather than being size related?

[tattieman]

Its possibly something like internal browning or rust as we call it. Possibly caused by mineral deficency and a rapid growth period. They will be safe to eat. Just boil them and mash them and serve them up to the wife just to make sure they are safe

[MrC]

Thanks

Wife says I can eat them but she still won't touch them!!

Next week I am going to post a photo of the carrots and find out what went wrong with them!