Aaarrgghh! tell me its not blight!!!

[dexterdoglancashire]

Thanks for the advice everyone! With all the rain we've had its virtually broken all the stems above ground, but have been eating the tatties anyway - no problems! A little small but delicious non the less! Bernie

[eskymo]

well thr foliage on my two tatties in tubs has gone compeltely yellow and beginning to diw down - I think I'm going to dig them up and see if there are any spuds in there or whether they've been eaten by something.

[shirlthegirl43]

Oh dear, after much reading and examining, and more reading and more examining, I am convinced my spuds and outdoor tomatoes have blight.

What do you folks reckon? If it is blight, what do I do now?

[Earthbabe]

Sorry shirl but that does look rather like it. I found some spots on my main crops today. I think Mr EB sprayed about 2-3 weeks ago with Bordeaux. I've heard an infusion of mare's tail can help, don't know whether it is too late for the Bordeaux once it's in situ.

It is so wet this year.

If you have second earlies that are near to harvesting you can cut the leaf off, allow 10 days and then dig them up. It will mean a smaller harvest possibly but last year when I had too many spuds I parboiled, tossed in butter and froze them so they were ready to put in the oven from frozen - superb.

[shirlthegirl43]

Bother, it is on my Brandywine and Sophie's Choice outdoor toms too!!

How long can I get away with leaving the leaves on the spuds as they are second earlies/maincrops and quite a way from cropping. I suspect it isn't worth bothering.

Just as well I grabbed the last bag of sharpe's express seed spuds at the garden centre this morning! Maybe I can still get a crop of sorts?

[Earthbabe]

Take off what you can - ie everything that looks affected and keep a close eye.

[shirlthegirl43]

Cheers, will give that a try

[Earthbabe]

Remember to clean any tools you use afterwards so you don't pass the spores around.

Best of luck.

I'll be checking mine properly on Monday as it was "raining rather hard" when I went down for salad and I got drenched digging up the rather soggy garlic. LOL.

[shirlthegirl43]

Thanks Earthbabe. Just told Madmax his 'babies' (Golden Wonder in a dustbin) have a fatal disease - he is close to tears!

Will go cut off all the infected leaves on spuds and toms and wait to see what happens

[eskymo]

Your plants look a damn sight healthier than mine - the foliage on mine has now gone completely yellow and covered in spots and withered away. But as no-one seemed to think it was blight I've not done anything, but will be digging the spuds up if there are any, after the rain has stopped. The large spots on your leaves look more like blight than what I have. The weather this year has been terrible - we've had unbearable heat, then cold misty weather followed by high humidity then rain for almost a month now...everyday is the same.

[shirlthegirl43]

We had hot dry lovely weather at the end of April, then wetter but still warmish early May then hot and dry again and now it is like autumn wet windy and glum. Today has been sunny and breezy and I got into the garden for the first time in ages. That's how I saw the state of the poor things - been to wet to notice for weeks!

Just hoping that I will still manage to get a crop by planting the rest of my seed now! Nothing seems to say how long I should wait after blight before planting again - all my spuds are in containers so I am hoping that with fresh compost I will be okay to go straight away.

Maybe the foliage on yours has died back because it has done its job - it does go yellow and die off when the crop is ready - when did you plant?

[eskymo]

Can't remember when I planted, but the date is on a label on the pot - too wet to go out and check. The potatoes never flowered, so not sure if they are ready. I'm going to try and get out there sometime this week and dig them up.

[shirlthegirl43]

Some don't flower when you grow in pots, mine didn't last year anyway.

[eskymo]

Maybe we'll have spuds for tea tomorrow then!

[shirlthegirl43]

Good luck.