Topic: What's happened to my spuds?

[AndrewB]

Having taken ages to come through they are a poor showing with gaps in the rows and very small/poorly looking haulms.  Dug one up to see whats occuring and the seed potato was mush.  Any ideas - planted too early? slugs? any other possible culprits? And what can I plant there next year to avoid a problem?  They are Charlote and Valour. Lots of unwelcome spuds cropping up very heathily elsewhere on plot.

[katynewbie]

 ???

My spuds are looking very ropey too, same thing, where is the neat row of Saxons I planted? Only a few on each row and not looking well. I wonder if I planted them too deep?

My crop of weeds is coming on apace though..ho hum!

 ;)

[Mrs Ava]

The seed potatos will often rot away and become horrible.  I don't know what is going on this year with the spuds - my allotment neighbour has 2 entire plots over the spuds, and they aren't great and he has done nothing different this year to last.  Mine are okay, but my volunteers, left from last year by accident are AMAZING!  I wonder if the weather has anything to do with it.  Mine were planted early, so benefited from that spring wet weather.  Some places had late frosts, and if they were planted later, then it has been incredibly hot and dry.  Sorry I can't be any help at all...............

[moonbells]

I've hoed off most of my volunteers, though one I deliberately left as you can't get it very easily - Salad blue. Usually only get as microplants (and therefore needs growing on for seed spuds year one).  So my volunteer is a very serendipitous one!

moonbells (head in dictionary :) )

[tim]

As Emma says - they do go mushy.

But why are some folk suffering? Apart from incipient blight, ours seem to be so good. Especially Cara on the left. Even though small return on Colleen on the right - gone - because of the drought.
Milva in the middle.

[Palustris]

We have got a good show of foliage, but not looked underneath yey. we are still eating the volunteers from in the tunnel. The main reason for failure with spuds (other than blight) is simply a lack of water. They need something like 4 gallons a plant a day to do really well.

[tim]

Love it!!

How the H do they even exist in this - let alone grow massive & produce??