very strange potato foliage

Oh dear Blaina that does not look good, I'm certain that is weedkiller damage. You might be unlucky enough to have brought in some contaminated manure/compost. Where did you get your compost from and are any other plants affected? A couple of years ago the exact same thing happen to me but I've not heard of any reports this year. It could also come from weedkiller drifting in from adjacent farmer's fields or other gardeners.

Have a look at this link which has lots of information and pictures describing the problem.

http://glallotments.co.uk/Documents/contaminated%20manure%20alert.pdf

 

Blaina, the weedkiller is not used on arable crops it is only for grasslands to kill dock, thistles etc. The weedkiller is very persistant and only tiny traces are needed to cause the damage you have witnessed. The weedkiller is not even broken down by animals digestive system, so manure from horses eating the grass or hay or silage will contain enough traces of the chemical to kill or seriously stunt the growth of susceptible crops (potatoes, tomatoes peas and beans) As far as I know onions and carrots are less sensitive to the weedkiller.

This was a big problem two years ago when the weedkiller was first used in the UK, farmers using manure lost whole crops of potatoes before the problem was identifiied. The weedkiller was temporarily suspended but last summer farmers were allowed to use it again provided they followed strict useage controls. The person supplying your manure should really have know better given that this had national coverage.

I'm afraid you are another victim of the contaminated manure fiasco. Please read the link I posted earlier and this one which contains a potted history of the problem: http://glallotments.co.uk/Manure5.aspx

Your spuds will probably be a write off this year and any beds where you have used this manure need special care and treatment in order to make sure the chemical breaks down so you can grow stuff again next year.

 

Blaina, it is susposedly not harmful to humans. At first (back in June 2008) we were told not to eat any of our crops contaminated with this stuff. Then when the scale of the problem was realised and many crops did not actually show any symptoms they changed their minds and said it was OK to eat them otherwise the supermarkets might have been half empty (as many commercial growers were hit as well). Actually our contaminated tomatoes did not produce any fruit and we decided not to eat anything from the contaminated beds that year just in case. It was a disaster for us and I'm really sorry that you have got the same problem now.

In your case I'd be very annoyed that the supplying stables did not warn you, as Pete says you have a good case against them.

 

I would go back to the supplier and tell them what has happened but don't give them all remaining manure or the soil.

You also need to contact the CRD [email protected] and DOW [email protected] . to tell them of your suspicions.

Blaina; I know you have researched this now and probably know what to do, but for others I've copied this section from the Green Lane Allotments website:



What if you suspect you have contaminated your soil?

Advice given if you suspect you have applied contaminated manure is:

â?¢ Check with your supplier

If your crops are showing the effect of herbicide poisoning see photos here http://glallotments.co.uk/ACManure.aspx

â?¢ Remove as much manure as possible.
â?¢ Don't keep the manure in a pile - if you can have piles removed and disposed of. Soil bacteria are needed to break down the residue and render it harmless to your plants.
â?¢ Rotavate and dig the soil as often as you can to speed up decomposition.
â?¢ Don't cover the soil as this will prevent air getting to the soil.
â?¢ Grow crops that are less likely to be affected - we found courgettes, squashes and sweetcorn grew with no problem. We also had no ill effect as far as our brassicas were concerned.
â?¢ Don't compost any affected plant material
â?¢ Don't burn any affected plant material - this could be illegal
â?¢ If your polytunnel or greenhouse is affected then keep turning the soil and keep the soil moist. Moisture and air are needed to aid plant decomposition.