I suppose this is a daft question but is there such a thing as a potato which slugs leave alone?
This year my husband has grown 'Saxon' and it has been an excellent cropper, but about a third of it has slug damage.
The other question is: Have all potato crops been good this year because of the weather, or is 'Saxon' a good cropper anyway?
Finally, what variety do the really experienced gardeners on here favour?
Variety? How long is a piece of string!!
I find the reds a bit better than the whites.
My kestrel are pest free and fabulous. In the spring when the seed catalogues come out they often list slug resistant varieties.
My Bonnie, Exquisa, Pink fir apples, and Black truffle are fine.
I think the slugs drowned!
Maybe they prefer meat - just started reading Shaun Hutson's horror novel - Slugs! They slime, they ooze, they kill...
Among the first earlies, Foremost is undoubtedly the most slug free, being rarely attacked. Kestrel is probably the best of the second earlies for this. Regrettably, although I have in my time grown almost every one of the best known varieties of maincrop, I have never found one that stands out for slug resistance.
Golden Wonder was absolutely the worst for me. From an entire harvest I didn't have one spud worthy of peeling! A complete waste.
My 3 rows of Arran Pilot have been totally untouched by slugs, whereas the Maris Peer (or are they Bard or Piper?? Can't remember off hand) have been badly attacked.
Cheers,
Ian
Never had slugs touch my Red Duke of Yorks, Desiree, PFK.
Blight hit the Red Dukes and Desiree and have dug up. Both had a good yield (better that last year) - PFK are still in the ground and are so far not touched by blight.
Mains always take more damage as they are in the soil longer in the damp autumn when the keeled slugs are most active.. I have found using Nemaslug wher I am going to grow next years potatoes really reduces the damage...
For taste I like PFA but as a late main slugs and blight can be a problem, Anya is almost as good and comes up at the end of July usually missing both..
Red Dukes, good thick skinned red...
;D
Quote from: allaboutliverpool on July 19, 2007, 19:25:05
My Bonnie, Exquisa, Pink fir apples, and Black truffle are fine.
I think the slugs drowned!
...Why haven,t the ants all drowned too ? They seem to be taking over the world down here ! :o Rohaise x
Ants are surviviors. They move their nest about all the time, and can survive a surprisingly long period of 'drowning'.
Red duke of york is never touched by slugs on my plot.