Kitchen Garden Forum

My potatoes are a disaster! Huge crop, but every one is damaged. Definitely by slugs, but is there also eelworm? I don't know how to recognise eelworm. The slug on the potato on the left just crawled out of one of those holes, so I know he made some of them.
What does eelworm damage look like?
The soil has been sodden since June and slugs are rampant in spite of iron phosphate pellets and slug nematode applications.

Hi Jrp

All of what you have is consistent with slug damage.
If you had eelworm I doubt you would have had even this crop. Have a look at http://www.potato.org.uk/department/kno ... tml?item=6

A very useful site to explore, by the way.

How are you growing your spuds, Jrp? A heavy mulch can be a magnet for slugs. On the other hand, in a good season a mulch is of considerable benefit. But, in a poor one, it can sometimes lead to woes like this. You say your soil has been sodden since June. Is it waterlogged at all?

Well, that's good news about the eelworm, thanks.
I grow the potatoes in a 4-year rotation in raised beds in my garden. The variety is Orla. The soil was quite poor (sandy and stony) when I started 5 yrs ago so I pull out stones and throw in a lot of farmyard manure at the bottom of each trench every year before planting. The soil is now quite nice, dark and rich-looking. Perhaps I plant them a bit close together due to space shortage. To stop my chickens digging them up and the wild rabbits from eating foliage, I cover the bed with Enviromesh. This does mean that I don't earth them up as often as I should. I scatter Growing Success Iron phosphate pellets under the mesh at planting time. This year I also sprayed with Nemaslug, but perhaps too late. Should I put slug bait in the trenches with the potatoes at planting time?
The soil isn't waterlogged, but it has rained every day here since mid-June, either showers, drizzle or torrents, so the surface has never dried.

Just looked at that link about potato diseases - it's very helpful, thanks!