[ceri green]

i have just lifted my early potatoes (pentland javelin... i think...) and about two thirds have been munched by something! .i carefully tested them about a week ago and they were still VERY small so i left them another week. what i lifted today was a mixture of still very small underdevelpoed ones, and reasonable sized half eaten ones.
what eats them undergoround?
is this likely to happen to all my other spuds aswell?
i still have maris piper second earlies and king ed's maincrop in the ground - the maris are still in flower and the ed's haven't strated to flower yet.
any ideas, anyone?

[beansticks]

I lifted 1 x 8mt row of pentland javelin today,thankfully they were very clean and of good size.Perhaps yours have been eaten by keel slugs which live underground.

[harrymac]

i have just lifted my early potatoes (pentland javelin... i think...) and about two thirds have been munched by something!

Damn! Just when I thought I had a pest-resistant variety.

what eats them undergoround?

Most likely wireworm (holes 1 or 2 mm wide) or slugs (bigger holes).

is this likely to happen to all my other spuds aswell?

Unfortunately yes.

Last year I left mine in the ground and dug them up as an when needed. I found the longer they were left in the more they were chewed, so best dig them as soon as they're ready.

[ceri green]

all that hard work gone to waste then! sob sob especially if the later crops are likely to be affected too!
the only thing i would say is that they weren't really like drill holes as such, more like sections chewed off if you follow my drift - although a lot of joined up wide holes could produce the same effect i suppose? you could practically see the teeth marks. maybe i've got giant mutant slugs - i've not seen any, and i put slug pellets down regularly - are there slugs that live entirely undergorund then?
is there any thing i can/should do now to save the rest? i'm sure its too early to lift them (still in flower and not even started to flower yet)

[mumofstig]

If it's slug damage, some spuds are more resistant. No help this year i know, but consult websites or catalogues before buying next year.
You've been unlucky i think because most places have reported fewer slugs this year.
Nematodes may still help with the main crops
from John's 'controlling slugs with nematodes pages

Potatoes are very susceptible to slug attack later in the season than most other plants.  So you can delay applying Nemaslug till 6-7 weeks before harvest, when the tubers are most likely to be eaten by slugs.

Link here to full page
nematodes