Potatoes/Blight

[MINESAPINT]

I have just noticed I have blight on the foliage of my Golden Wonder potatoes which has not yet got to the tubers. I do have 5 other varieties which are still unaffected fingers crossed!

I know the advice will be to cut off the tops and burn them leaving the potatoes in the ground to mature before digging. However, having dug a few roots I note I already have a substantial crop and am tempted to dig them up and store them straight away. I suppose in the interest of experimentation I should dig half now and store them separately to the half I dig later.

Your views would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[Thurston Garden]

I think another reason not to dig them yet is that by removing the shaws and burning them, and leaving the tatties in the ground, you are reducing the possibility of the blight spores contaminating the tatties (if you dug them normally) which would then ruin them in store.

I cannot remember how long you should leave them in the ground after the shaws have been destroyed - two weeks spring to mind though. This allows the blight spores to (die?) and not infect the tatties in the ground.

[red]

last year when we had blight i digu them up and washed them, and got away with it.

doing the same thing this year.

[clare]

Yep me too,mine got blight last year and I just dug them up ,burnt the foliage ,dried and stored them and they were fine,very nice in fact,keeping an eye on this years, though they are in a different patch,other end of the land and seem ok at present.

[mister bimble]

I have the same problem this year, and I popped over to my local organic veg grower to ask her advice. Here's what she recommends:

1. Wait until the plants have died down, then remove the stems and leaves.

2. Leave your tatties in the ground for two weeks before pulling them up. Otherwise you risk contaminating them with the blight that's in the soil.

3. Store and enjoy... in theory anyway as I've not done this before.

I trust my veg grower as she's been growing organically for years. Hope this helps.

Robin