Topic: Ok eck..the blight has hit our gardens

[Jeannine]

Just got an e mail that late blight is in our community gardens.

The greenhouse I am growing in is in an isolated area away from the main plots so I am hoping with all I am worth it won't get in there too fast..my precious dwarf project tomatoes are in there and they were in late.

Also at risk but again more isolated are the 18 or so rare varieties of potato I started this year.

It is only July after all..Devastating news.

XX Jeannine

[Jayb]

Oh Jeannine this is not good news  :(
I do hope it stays well away from your greenhouse tomatoes, oh the charlottes and toms potatoes,  it would be awful to loose them now. I was reading about Tania's blight disaster but must admit I didn't connect it being so close to you.

Are you allowed to use any sprays at your lottie? I know you said before they are really strict, I just wonder if anything available to you is classed as organic?

xx

[PurpleHeather]

We noticed blight on a plot on our site four weeks ago so decided to lift all our spuds.

The house is so full of the biggest potatioes we have ever had  you can not imagine

We are checking them weekly for rot or damage but it is an amazing harvest. Best we have ever had.

Half of them were the rubbish spuds left over from last year. We only counted one stailk and there were 23 the size of a decent jacket potato.

Came from a seed spud the size of a sparrows egg. We are struggling to house the harvest.

[Jeannine]

Jay we can use any organic copper  spray but frankly I don't think it is much use once it arrives..it isn't in my compound area yet though and my tomatoes never get any moisture on their leaves at all so it is a waiting game. I think Toms potaties are at more risk, they are closer to the main gardens. I checked them today and they are fine but they are so far behind.I am hoping I can get at least some healthy small  tubers which I shall hopefully overwinter for next year, well you know the other bit!! If I do get it on them I will bin the lot, spuds and all as I wouldn't want to risk carrying it on.

Trouble is there are many folks here who still plant supermarket spuds which is scary, but it happens a lot and I know the local garden centre who sells plants sold some blight infected plants that made it to our gardens last year, we get a lot of new gardeners who don't realise the risks

XX Jeannine