New potatoes & slugs

[Sue]

Can anyone recommend new potato varieties that will cope with fairly heavy clay soil, are slug resistant and have some blight resistance. My allotment is close to the boundary hedge which appears to harbour the world's supply of slugs and blight seems to be getting earlier every year on our site. Also, does the old trick of putting wood ash in the potato trench work? Our fire only burns wood so I assume it will not add any nasty chemicals. Should I leave the trench open with the ash in it to weather before I plant or just go for it?

Thanks for any advice anyone can offer.

Sue

[Carole B.]

Hi Sue
I don't know about which are best for heavy soil but as far as slugs are concerned DO NOT plant Swift,it is the worst of any I have tried for slug damage,most were so riddled with holes that they were inedible.'Foremost' on the other hand has been pretty clear.
Carole

[nog]

I plant Kestral. My plot is like a brick works. And they come up lovely. Never a problem with Slugs or Blight. Dig a trench and but a layer of leaves in it, put in the tuber and cover with compos t. AS they grow cover again with compost and keep pileing it on as they grow.

[Guest]

The new scarpo (have I spelt it right?) variety is supposed to be very good against blight and slugs.

[jane E]

Once again, we've all got our own way of doing things. Sarpo ARE blight resistant.I had bighted potatoes right alongside them and there was not a touch of blight on them.They say Lady Balfour also has some blight resistance. I garden on heavy clay and my Sarpo Axona were very nice tasting and a variety of sizes and quite heavy cropping.Potatoes do taste differently according to soil type etc. I have used wood ash just shoved in the planting hole for years and rarely get a slug hole. Also it is potash which potatoes like, which may affect the quality of the crop.

[Sue]

Thanks everyone for your input. Will go with the wood ash and get Kestals for earlies and try the new Sarpo ones for mains.

Sue

[CMB]

One good thing about Swift is they grow really well in pots in the greenhouse. Plant in Jan to harvest April- very small but useable- even after the hard weather we had in march last yr,