Blighted Potatoes

[nick nack]

Evening everybody

Last year my tatties succumbed to the dreaded blight and I dug everything up, or at least I thought so. This year I have a couple of 'free potato' plants growing out of the the bed where my potatoes were last year.

Will they be ok or is it possible that they will carry the disease and infect this years crop?

Thanks

NN

[Gwyndy]

Several of the allotment holders on our site (me included) had blight last year but spotted it before it had gone in to the tubers. Cutting off all the foliage and burning it stopped the spread and saved the crop. The older allotmenteers said that we should not reuse the ground for potatoes for 2-3 years, but I don't know if this is true.

RHS link may help you - Royal Horticultural Society - Gardening Advice: Potato Blight

[Cutecumber]

The fungus only lingers on infected plant material - so you should dispose of everything that might harbour it. It can't live in the soil on its own, but it is never sensible to grow potatoes in the same place consecutively anyway, just in case.

It is certainly not a good idea to keep "volunteer" potatoes from last year if your crop had blight.

Nick nack - did you save the crop (i.e. burn the foliage but save the tubers) or did it get into everything?

[nick nack]

Thanks Gwyndy and CC for the replies.

CC - The blight didn't reach the tubers disposed of the foliage as soon as it appeared.

Don't think it is worth the risk but was curious to get the views of somebody else.

Thanks

NN