Spuds

[Mr GrimNasty]

I'd dig them all up now if I were you, if they haven't finished growing and started to die back already, they won't do much more now anyway, those sunken brown patches look like the beginnings of something not too good.

Bin all the top growth and seed potato residue, never compost it.

Use any suspect tubers straight away, and store the good ones for a bit if you want - Estima are supposed to keep OK.

You could plant turnip seeds now (nicer than they sound especially if you eat them small) or a fast maturing carrot.

Other ideas here.

http://www.thompson-morgan.com/what-to-sow-and-gro...

[Willy Nilly]

Mr GrimNasty said:

I'd dig them all up now if I were you, if they haven't finished growing and started to die back already, they won't do much more now anyway, those sunken brown patches look like the beginnings of something not too good.

Bin all the top growth and seed potato residue, never compost it.

No, leave them in the ground, they will not keep if he harvests them now. If he wants to keep them, he needs to leave them where they are until the haulm is completely dead and the skins have set. The only reason to lift them now is slug damage, he can quite safely leave then there until October. As long as they don;t get too frosted or very wet they will be just fine.

The sunken brown patches are just scab.

There is no reason to do anything with the haulm. All of the haulm in field will just be flailed off at or just before harvest and left in the field.


just to add, they can bulk up by up to 10% after they have been burnt off. We would burn the tops off (used to use sulphuric acid, but latterly went to use various forms of glyphosate) to bring the harvest date forward on main crop.

Edited by Willy Nilly on Thursday 28th July 10:03

[Mr GrimNasty]

Willy Nilly said:

Mr GrimNasty said:

I'd dig them all up now if I were you, if they haven't finished growing and started to die back already, they won't do much more now anyway, those sunken brown patches look like the beginnings of something not too good.

Bin all the top growth and seed potato residue, never compost it.

No, leave them in the ground, they will not keep if he harvests them now. If he wants to keep them, he needs to leave them where they are until the haulm is completely dead and the skins have set. The only reason to lift them now is slug damage, he can quite safely leave then there until October. As long as they don;t get too frosted or very wet they will be just fine.

The sunken brown patches are just scab.

There is no reason to do anything with the haulm. All of the haulm in field will just be flailed off at or just before harvest and left in the field.


just to add, they can bulk up by up to 10% after they have been burnt off. We would burn the tops off (used to use sulphuric acid, but latterly went to use various forms of glyphosate) to bring the harvest date forward on main crop.

Edited by Willy Nilly on Thursday 28th July 10:03

Why not just respect someone else's expert opinion?

You are talking commercial growing, I am talking gardens. There is a big difference.

It is not just scab - although they do exhibit some minor scab as well.

In gardens with a small area and no chemical control it is vital to remove all possible infection continuation vectors, and it is standard practice to remove all potato plant material.

Blight has been rife in gardens in recent years and in the sort of weather we have been having this year general rot is also rife.

If he leaves them in the ground there is a high probability they will rot, it happens almost overnight, and he will have nothing but a stinking mess.

Estimas are finished growing by August.