Slug free spuds.

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Allotment Jeff
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I realise it's a little early to be worrying about potatoes, we won't be planting them for a couple of months. However, the seed catalogues are here and I desperately need to find a main crop variety that won't become decimated by slug damage. My soil doesn't help being thick, glutinous clay. Over the years I've added several tons of well rotted manure and compost.
I've tried all the Sarpo types and they're great at resisting blight but when I dig them up they're full of holes. I've watered in several sachets of nematodes with varying degrees of success, but the slugs still eat more potatoes than I do...
I just want to grow a decent potato that molluscs don't like. Is there a slug free main crop?
My most successful spud is the mid season Kestrel and last year I staggered the planting time, so this winter I've been using them as a stand in main crop.
I''d appreciate any ideas on slug free spuds.
Thanks, Jeff
Westi
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Hi Jeff & welcome!

I get loads of slug damage as well, but sandy soil over a deeper clay bed. It is cost prohibitive to use nematodes as often as recommended. I grew Jazzy last year, but only 2 rows and they seemed to stand up best. They are a 2nd early but can be left to grow on without loss of flavour or storing capability. Growing them again this year but more, but still trying some old favourites like Cara and hoping the crop rotation may allow these to get through unscathed or only gently nibbled My Jazzy's won 1st in the lottie show if that helps your decision making.
Westi
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Tony Hague
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Allotment Jeff wrote:Is there a slug free main crop?


No !

I have similar soil, and have given up on maincrop varieties. Despite what the catalogues might say.

I'd love to discover I'm wrong, if anyone knows otherwise.
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Geoff
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I agree nothing is slug free. I get some damage but usually can sort a 'use first' pile after I have dried them with the rest fit to store. I dig and compost fairly early but have stopped lining the trenches with more compost as I plant but do add a few of the new slug pellets.
I feed with a mixture of Growmore, potash and phosphate to try and get somewhere near the potato fertiliser ratio, I think too much nitrogen can help the slugs. I grow Rocket, Charlotte and Picasso.
Monika
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Hello and welcome, Jeff. Having suffered the same problem as you for many years on the allotment and in the garden and having tried lots of different varieties, I agree with Tony Haigh in that slugs and potatoes just go together, alas. But for the last three years or so we have only grown potatoes in large pots, filled with potting compost and some well-rotted manure, fed with potato fertiliser. By taking them out of the open ground, we seem to have beaten the slugs. It's very rare to find any damage on the pot-grown potatoes, either by slugs or any other baddies. The drawbacks are, of course, that one cannot grow a great quantity and that the pots need regular watering, much more than in the open ground.
We use the "spent" compost in other pots, window boxes etc for bulbs, flowers, salads and herbs the following year and then it is spread on the ground, so it is initially expensive but nothing is wasted.
Nematodes did not solve the problem, by the way.
sally wright
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Dear Jeff,
try doing a red skinned potato like desiree or romano. I have a silty soil and have lots of slugs and whilst a few get the holes I still get a good crop. Also don't leave them too long before you get them out of the ground mid September at the very latest as the slugs become active again after an August lull.
Regards Sally Wright.
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Pa Snip
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Agree with Sally about red spuds, have always found them less likely to succumb to major slug damage if not left in ground too long.

Over the last few years we have tried growing either Sarpo Mira or Sarpo Axona in order to try and avoid blight, whilst they still get a small amount of slug damage we have decided not to grow either this year. Last year the skins were so hard we needed a pneumatic drill to peel them.

We will once again plant Winston as a first early and a main, we have found that if we leave some of that variety in until Aug / Sept we can get a crop of large potatoes without too much slug damage.

As Sally suggests, its a question of getting them out at the right time.

The danger when people start to believe their own publicity is that they often fall off their own ego.

At least travelling under the guise of the Pa Snip Enterprise gives me an excuse for appearing to be on another planet
Allotment Jeff
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Many thanks for your greetings and suggestions. It's a tricky one, isn't it! I think I'll continue staggering the planting of the reliable Kestrel. These have proved to be good keepers, slugs ignore them and I still have a few as we approach February. Then I'll do the sensible thing and plant the main crop in containers. I have quite a few tubs and muck buckets and I've recently acquired a huge old old water tank.
I reckon that the mild and wet winter we have had so far the molluscs will be more of a problem than ever.
Thanks again, Jeff
PLUMPUDDING
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I always put a sprinkle of slug pellets in the bottom of the trench when I plant them. Ive had good results using Nemasys nematodes in the past but got a bit of slug damage last year when I didn't so am definitely going to use it again this year.

I'm only going to grow Charlotte and Picasso this year. They are both versatile and have a good flavour. Charlotte don't usually get slug damage and Picasso are usually ok if you don't leave them in the ground too long. I've made a list of varieties that are more susceptible to slug damage in my old gardening log but started a new one in 2014 and haven't found the safe place it's filed in yet !!! Sorry.
robo
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There is an interesting article on growing potatoes in this month's magazine page 33 growing in poly bags it might help some of you
Colin2016
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Was watching some video from "UK Here We Grow" which suggested using Heavy Duty Containers with Handles prevented slugs.

Anybody else seen this?
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Diane
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I've given up growing them in the ground - and now use large pots or potato growing bags. There's only the two of us so obviously don't get a huge crop - but there's never any damage, so no waste either.
'Preserve wildlife - pickle a rat'
Monika
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The only drawback of growing potatoes in large pots or bags (and I mentioned that earlier on in this thread) that they do need an awful lot of watering when they are filling because by then, the ample foliage keeps the rain off the surface of the pots, and in hot weather they need about a watering can full every day!
Westi
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You could set up a drip system - it needed be the expensive ones on timers, just the one that you fill the bag and hook it up behind them. You still have the control of the drip flow and could set one to water a couple of bags, they hold quite a bit, about 2 cans full if not a bit more, need secure hook to hang them off as I learnt from experience!
Westi
Colin2016
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Looking to get 20off 35litre buckets for growing spuds @ 2 – 4 spuds per bucket.

Any suggestions on easy way to water them?
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