Kitchen Garden Forum

Hey

Not sure if this is the right section to post in but I need some help.

Ive had a text from the other half who says our spuds are dying off in the raised beds.

He hasn't been very helpful with whats happening, all I know is that the high winds the other week snapped some of the tops off and now they seem to be dying off unsure if is watering, soil or other.

Does anyone have any tips for trying to resurect them ( I wont get to see them till the weekend. )

Thanks.

Hi VV. Are your spuds Maincrop? How long have they been in the ground? It sounds like the natural die back of the haulms (stems) of the plants, which happens when the tubers are about ready for harvesting. They tend to flop over then gradually turn yellow and wither up. It can look pretty alarming if you haven't grown them before.

I should wait until you can see them at the weekend, then come back on here with more details about when you planted them and what they look like etc. There are folks on here far more knowledgeable than myself who will be able to advise you.

Meanwhile...try not to panic!
Cheers.

Morning V V

I recall from your previous thread that your potatoes were planted about the second half of August. What is wrong with them now I cannot say as I have not tried August-planted potatoes for many years. When I did, just once, try them outside the cold finished them off in October. I suspect that may be your problem and there is not really much you can do to resuscitate them

If anyone else has ideas have a look first at this post of V V's (and the next two posts:

viewtopic.php?p=84151#p84151

Thanks guys.

Will also try and get some photos and load them up so you can get an idea as well.

Hi VV. Having just read your previous post, thanks to Alan, I'm wondering now, if the frost we had recently has got at them...I'm in Hull....and we had a frost last week.
Cheers.

Hi Elaine

I hoped you'd come in with a report on Humberside weather.

V V If the leaves are black the cause was frost

Thanks Elaine,

Being in Staffs I didnt know about the frost. Hope we can bounce ideas round for being in that part of the world.

Ive got all sort of plans for the patch so to speak lol

Will let you all know what happens the weekend.

Hello VV
The few times that I have tried late-planting potato tubers the plants have always succumbed to blight well before they had any chance of forming usable tubers.
I suspect this may be what has happened to your crop.

I think the seed companies are just not being honest when they promote this 'autumn planted tubers for new potatoes at Christmas' stuff as being easy. In my experience it is doomed to failure - an expensive failure when you look at the prices charged for the tubers.

John

Where we are in N Staffs ( 2 miles to S Cheshire), autumn planted potatoes are a no go: frosts and slugs see to that.

Dera Elaine, if you have had a frost, then it has almost certainly been the culprit. Don't forget, potatoes are by nature a warm-weather plant. But you may not need to despair if you are growing earlies or replanted earlies for Xmas new potatoes: the foliage will have been executed by the frost, but the tubers under the soil will still be good. I speak from experience: last Xmas my son and I went to dig up some spuds after heavy frosts; having penetrated the icy soil, we got a clutch of jolly good spuds [Sharpe's Express dug up in June and replanted for Xmas eating].

Hey,

Ive just arrived and gone staright to the poor spuds.

The lovely lush green foliage is now slimmy black wilted yuk, does this mean Jack Frost was about.

Shall set to and pull them up tomorrow as I cant see that they will revive from this.

Nothing else seems to have been touched unless you count slugs n snails?

Hey,

Ive managed to upload some shots of the beds that we are trying out (homemade) before they turned to slimy goo.

Do you think its to exposed for the like of spuds n sprouts.

Looks like blight to me. The plants are a reasonable size so there might be something useful underneath.

John

Looks like blight to me. The plants are a resonable size so there might be something useful underneath.

John

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Unfortuantely there was nothing underneath after I had cleared the Yukky gooo away even dug down on one and nout to be seen....sigh.