Potatoes damage - help

[johnt62]

Went to the allotment yesterday to find the leaves on most of my early potatoes have gone brown or black. My first reaction was blight (but isn't it a bit early for that?) I checked around and discovered the same on other plots (except one). What could have caused this? I now suspect frost damage (basically because the one plot that has very little damage is under the shelter of trees) but I don't think we've had a frost here in Newcastle recently. The plants were ok on Saturday morning.

[sandersj89]

Afraid it sounds like frost to me....but better than blight!

They will mostly recover if it is frost but they will be delayed a few weeks.

Jerry

[Ian F]

I agree that it sounds like frost damage. It is too early for blight.

Plants can be damaged without the temperature actually reaching 0, I think it might be called an air frost, but I stand to be corrected on that.

[Carole B.]

Mine got caught a couple of years ago but they did pull round from it with fresh shoots.
One chap went round saying that someone had sabotaged his crop by spraying them!

[jane E]

You may be in a frost pocket.We had some pretty cold mornings a week or so ago. I always cover mine until June, either by earthing up or fleece.

[haggis]

I had the same problem last year only the plants were quite far on and they got badly damaged. The leaves went brown and then black and the plants never really recovered. I left them in the ground but the plants finally gave up the ghost. When I dug them up the spuds were very small but quite tasty.

I planted much later this year and have earthed up every weekend but unfortunately they got frosted last Friday night. This time only the very tips were showing so I am hoping that they recover enough to put on a decent crop. Next year I am going to put fleece over them until the end of May!

Hope your plants recover - good luck.

Haggis