We planted out some shallots last autumn and they have overwintered well, and are growing into big fat shallots. However, while they still aren't ready for lifting yet, they have started forming a flowerhead. Should we nip this off? Or not? Or can it be eaten (I remember seeing something somewhere t...

Yes, mash freezes well - just make sure you dry it out thoroughly before doing so otherwise you get watery mash. Small news freeze after 3 mins blanching, or prepare chips, cook without browning, drain well, cool and freeze; and when you come to use them defrost sufficiently so there aren't ice crys...

Jules, you have my sympathy! We've been veggie growing for 5 years and we'd never seen blight and we didn't recognise it for what it was until we started digging up slimy potatoes. That then accounted for our brown and mouldy looking toms. Toms & spuds (& peppers & aubergines!) are all t...

OK, having lost all our spud harvest to blight, I take it we can't put our 2nd cropper Carlingford in a previously used spud bed. We have 2 potato barrels which, although we never got a great harvest out of them, we will have to use if I want my new potatoes for Xmas. Now that the weather has picked...

I know what you mean Elderflower. Spuds are probably our favourite crop and in the 5 years we've been growing veg we'd never come across blight. Our 3 (spud) of 11 in total raised beds succumbed totally to blight and we didn't realise what it was If wet and warm summers become more common, what will...

Thanks for the reassurance - I'd had visions of not being able to grow spuds for 20 years or something horrible! But - oh glory - the prospect of trying to get every last tiny dot of a potato out of three raised beds

Having been caught out by blight, we shall have to put this year down to (lack of!) experience. However, is it going to affect our gardening activities next year? We have a four year rotation in raised beds. Many thanks for your help.