THE TATTIES THREAD 2018

Rocket. Wireworm/eelworm or slugs? (I found mini grey slugs btw but been told it's wireworm)



Preventative measure for next year please? (Aside from pulling up much earlier) 2 bags had to go in the bin.. bloody gutted, they were so good last year.

From this bag I had one 10 litre pot I could use

 

For slugs you want nematodes, time them for last 4-5 weeks before lifting.

Eelworm, I have not yet come across so cannot advise.

Wireworm live in grassland and I had this back at the start of my plot. I have since removed he grass pathways to break the cycle of wireworm, and I have not had a problem with them since.

Steve...

 

Thanks Steve, I used nematodes around the beginning of May I think so I'll try to use them later on next time. I was thinking of giving another dose (but I assumed as it was dry my biggest problem would be scab not slugs..plus I'm too tight.) I also used it along side pellets, eggshells and coffee grounds. Obviously wasn't enough :(

Interesting about the wireworm and grass.. I haven't got much around or on my plot except for the few odd bits of couch stuck between path and beds

The other option is to grow in sacks I think!

 

Ok so i didn't cut them back. I did wonder about blight. Instead I'm harvesting the most obtrusive ones first.

Next question. I have noticed that a few of the ones I am digging up are already beginning to sprout. Would these be viable seed potatoes for replanting now for new potatoes at Christmas. I was under the impression if you wanted to do a late planting it had to be from stored seed stock but as they are already sprouting I'm now wondering if they might be viable.

Nothing to really lose I guess other than a few potatoes.

 

Got my first Blightwatch alert in ages this morning, but all my outdoor spuds have either been harvested or had the tops cut off.

I thought they needed a period of dormancy before replanting, but nothing to lose although probably not the best variety being a 20 weeks to harvest maincrop potato that will need to be kept frost free into the New Year.

I can't recall ever lifting spuds in summer that had already started sprouting.

 

Been getting blight alerts every day for about a week now. All my spuds have now either been harvested or had the tops cut off, the last ones being chopped were my Kondors growing in tubs in polytunnels for replanting next year. No late blight for me again for a second year.

 

Had quite a few blight alerts but all mine are still great, unlike last dreadful summer when most of mine got blight. I have removed the top growth of the Anyas and leaving them for eating a bit later altho furturled loads already but massive amounts left as some crop this year.
We are on to eating my favourite salad/new potato (Pink Fir Apple), they are susceptible to blight but ok atm. If I take off the top growth will it mean the skins go harder? They are delicious both hot and cold with very thin skins and don't want them to alter by taking the tops off when no blight present. The tops are still on my Sarpo Mira which I intend to eat as more of a normal potato ie not salad type and hoping to store them for eating over the winter. Would I be as well to take the tops off them? They are mostly still upright and must be getting on for about 5ft tall.

 

Thanks for the advice re the PFAs.Yes @JWK my eyeballs are out at the crop I've got, huge doesn't quite describe the amounts I have got from each seed potato plus no blight or scab either, just really lovely spuds. Such a funny year with the beast and then boiling/drought for months. However, my efforts at keeping my veg watered despite the drought seem to have paid off. On top of that the apple crop is amazing. The apples on 1 tree look more like flaming melons they are so huge. We even have quite a crop of pears on an ancient tree which has produced sweet fa since moving here 17 yers ago.Not getting excited about those however as they are pretty small and reckon you'll need a pneumatic drill to even dent them.

 

Perry Pears?

 

After the dry my spuds are now starting to grow again?
Not sure that is a good thing, but dug a few roots of King Edward and they were very small, a bit like new potatoes.

PFA are still there, not grown as tall as usual, but I'll leave them a bit longer and wait until I think the weather has really turned, before getting them out the ground.

 

I've been growing spuds in different ways and parts of the plot, in and outdoors for a few years now. My 30ltr pots with sarpo mira in have so far been very good. 4 weeks ago I lifted one just to see how they where doing and had 8lb from it, I was pleased with that. 2 weeks ago I lifted another and had around about the same so did not weigh them. Just lifted one today and had 12lb 2oz..I'm ecstatic about that, best I have ever heard is 10lb from a 30ltr pot, so this extraordinary....unless you know better!

Still have 10 more pots to lift..

Steve...

 

Just 2 in each John.

Steve...

 

About half the Kondor spuds I was hoping to save for re-planting next year have been badly affected by scab. What advice I can find online suggests they should not be re-planted as it will only get worse in a subsequent crop.

But I'm going to ignore that, chit in early February next year, and plant in shallow trays of compost and when roots appear at the base of the chits (there's wrong information online stating the roots form under the seed spud), carefully remove the rooted chits for potting on, hopefully leaving the infection behind on the skin of the discarded saved seed spud.

Those plants, together with some from scab free tubers, will be used to produce next years tubers for re-planting, as I've found those grown from whole (or pieces of large) tubers produce the biggest spuds for entering in heaviest potato classes.