holy potatoes

[bub]

Hi

Just a little advice need please.  Been growing pototoes organically for a few years now.

My earlies are fine but my main crop always suffers and my crop is greatly reduced due to holes in my potatoes.  I take it this could be either slug or wireworm damage.

I practice crop rotavation and my potatoes are never planted on new ground.  I've tried many methods including planting deep but my spuds always get a good drilling.  Over the years I've grown King Edwards, Golden wonder, Cara and many others but they all seem to get eaten before my family.

It seems most damage occurs later in the growing season.

Before I go out and buy this year, could anyone please recommend a tasty floury potato that has good resistance to my soil pests.

regards

bub

[bub]

[Zippy Seale]

have a look at dt browns
http://www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk/acatalog/0033mainsecpot.html
yukon is a fluffy spud.

[bub]

Thanks Celtic_Growers

Yukon Gold looks a quality potato, just reading up on it now.

regards

bub

[grawrc]

Looks like something's praying on them. ;) ;)
Sorry. :-[

[bub]

haha....

I'm sure they'll be ok when I altar the variety...

[Robert_Brenchley]

I used to get that; in my case it was mostly wireworms. The damage gradually reduced until after about five years it finally stopped.

[MikeB]

It's wireworm damage if the ground was previously lawn or grass covered.  As Robert has said it reduces and disappears in about 5 years.

[sandersj89]

Try Arran Victory, it is a floury spud that does not suffer from many problems. I have grown it for a few years and even on newish ground it has been fine.

Jerry

[keef]

Desiree are'nt that flowery, but the do resist slugs extremly well. Plus they always produce a good crop.

You can get nemaslugs to control the slugs organically...

http://www.crocus.co.uk/toolsandstuff/results/?ContentType=Product_Card&ClassID=1000000734&CategoryID=519&IsSoldOut=True

Lots of places sell them, they are expensive though and i've never tried them, but i plan to experiment this year.

[John_H]

I grow Accent, which I think are a second early, but keep quite well too. These seem to hardly suffer any slug damage and are usually out of the ground or the halums can be cut off and left in the ground before the blight turns up. The other advantage for me is that I can dig them and use the ground again for something like leeks in the same season.

you could always just buy a single Kg to try out this year.

[mm-b]

Thanks for sharing that info on the grassed over earth MikeB.
I told my children that was how the potatoes were meant to look, just like the olden days when I was a wee lass. Don't know if they believed me or not.
At least I know things will get better, except that I am digging up the second side of my full of grass (couch) lottie this year and was going to plant the potatoes there...
Melanie :)

[grawrc]

Me too. I'm intending to plant potatoes where previously there was lawn  .. umerrr .. cut grass???  :-\ It was all dug up, dug over and manure put down 6 months ago.
What's the prognosis?
How would I determine whether there are wireworms and is there anything organic i can do to get rid of them if they're there?

[MikeB]

Hi grawrc, I did an internet search on wireworm management and basically from what I found it's a case of 'tough'.  It gets a lot better from year 2 onwards and remember you may not have that many.

PS a wireworm is actually a beetle.

[grawrc]

Found an interesting site myself:
www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/wireworm.htm