Topic: veggies left in ground

[Jeannine]

Hi last year due to the flooding all of our veggies rotted in the ground, when we could get at them we pulled up what was visible, brocs, cauli etc but the spude were just mush.I ma concerned now that those rotted spuds that it was impossible to remove might have damaged the soil in some way..any ideas?

Thank you XX Jeannine

[betula]

My potatoes rotted in the water last year.The stink was awful.I am letting that bed grass over this year.Not sure about the other veg.My instinct would be to chuck them on the compost heap but you run the risk of pests and diseases I suppose. :)

[Jeannine]

I can't chuck them on the heap there was nothing to chuck, just mush and slime in the ground XX Jeannine

[betula]

I would just dig the beds over and let the fresh air do its job.The soil may have lost nutrients.

[kitten]

I was wondering a similar thing Jeannine, our potatoes got blighted last season and altho we dug out what we could i was concerned there would be some leftover mush underground.  We have legumes in that bed this year so i guess we'll see what happens! x

[Robert_Brenchley]

Dead material left from last year will have rotted long since; there's nothing to worry about. Once the water receded, air will have got back into the soil, and the anaerobic decay which produces poisons and nasty smells will have ceased. I'd be worried about blighted spuds surviving to infect this year's crop, so dig over and remove with care! Put them in a dalek or something where they don't have a chance to grow.