spuds

bob and di · Tue Dec 05, 2006 11:53 pm

Hi Guys

We planted some potato plants some time ago ... they grew and looked very well, but now the tops look all dead and manky ....

When are you supposed to dig them up ?

p.s. we live in NZ so its now early summer ...

HILLDREAMER90 · Wed Dec 06, 2006 1:14 am

I dont know anything about growing in NZ But it sounds like blight to me,think i would clear all the tops you can & burn, then lift the tatties & see how they look. If it is blight they may look ok but prob wont keep for long. Hope im wrong!! A.

bob and di · Wed Dec 06, 2006 1:27 am

yikes ... that does not sound good ... I think I'll dig some up tonight and see what they look like ... I will report back tomorrow

Andy Hamilton · Wed Dec 06, 2006 10:04 am

Woah there, it might just be that they have grown their course - potatoes tend to die back in when they are ready - how long ago is some time? Did they flower?

2steps · Post: # 43066Post **2steps** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 10:28 am

I alway dig my potatoes up after they flower and start dying down, I thought that was what you were suppose to do

If I'm leaving the spuds in the ground I cut of the dead bit incase they spoil the potatoes. has always worked for me

Andy Hamilton · Wed Dec 06, 2006 11:00 am

2steps wrote:I alway dig my potatoes up after they flower and start dying down, I thought that was what you were suppose to do If I'm leaving the spuds in the ground I cut of the dead bit incase they spoil the potatoes. has always worked for me

Yep, that is what you are suposed to do. You can leave them in the ground just to store them for a bit.

HILLDREAMER90 · Wed Dec 06, 2006 12:02 pm

Yeh they could just have come to the end of their lifecicle. The description of them being "manky" made me think of blight. If im wrong,sorry to have worried you.[just tryin to help] A.

Andy Hamilton · Wed Dec 06, 2006 2:42 pm

It is one of the first things that anyone thinks of when it comes to potatoes and tomatoes. I will have to be careful next season as I lost all of my tomatoes to blight.

2steps · Post: # 43089Post **2steps** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 3:41 pm

my tomatoes got blight too

bob and di · Wed Dec 06, 2006 7:52 pm

an 'expert' popped around last night so we showed him the spuds ... blight he cried !!! ... seems blight is very common in NZ due to the wet humid climate .... we dug a couple of plants up and the tatties are ok though ... just need to eat them quickly he said .. :-)

Hope the tomtoms are ok then

Andy Hamilton · Wed Dec 06, 2006 8:52 pm

bob and di wrote:
Hope the tomtoms are ok then

Ah so it was blight after all. Blight is airborne so it all depends on how far away your toms are from the spuds. Dave (my brother) never grows toms and spuds on the same plot. Now you have had had blight you will need to be careful what goes into that area next. Many will say not to grow anything from the spud family in that area for 6 years.

bob and di · Wed Dec 06, 2006 9:16 pm

6 years !!!!! ... blimey !!!! ..... gonna have to dig up some more of the garden then !!!

Can brocoli get blight - the brocoli row is right next to the spuds !

6 years ... that is mad - this veggie growing thing is more complicated than you think hey !

HILLDREAMER90 · Thu Dec 07, 2006 2:53 pm

Hi, Yes it's best to avoid replanting in the same place,but in my experience you should get away with planting nearby. The blight spores are allways around. A lot depends on the varietys you choose & the weather, here in NE Scotland we quite often have wet summers. If u xperiment with different varietys you'll prob find a few that will suit.A.