[Half a plot man]

Hi everyone,

We have the dreaded blight going through our site, our early potatoes have been affected. i have cut the tops of and dug up one row.....the question is what would be suitable to plant now in their place?

[Aunt Sally]

Probably not blight.  Have you taken a close up picture of the affected leaves for us ?

[DD.]

Are you sure it's blight - I'm not saying it isn't, but the spud council blight map shows no reported cases anywhere in England or Wales, yet.

Blight Map

[Half a plot man]

Ah...I don't have any photos, but the leaves were yellow and wet, and all plant tops were limp? A couple of the more expereienced members at our site have stated its blight?

[Aunt Sally]

yellow and wet, and limp are not symptoms of blight !

[mumofstig]

anything that they don't like the look of, and the Old Boys call it blight 

[Half a plot man]

yellow and wet, and limp are not symptoms of blight !

So what are the signs/indications of blight please? Is this just a case of lackm of water - or a sign that the potatoes are just ready to pull?

[Half a plot man]

anything that they don't like the look of, and the Old Boys call it blight 

Maybe, maybe.........this is our second year at our plot so still learning!

[DD.]

Could be our friend blackleg which seems to be around quite a bit this year.

[mumofstig]

read this...Avoiding and Recognising Blight
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=56717.msg668473#msg668473

[Half a plot man]

read this...Avoiding and Recognising Blight
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=56717.msg668473#msg668473

Thanks mumofstig, have read that and signed upto blightwatch. According to the photos we do not have blight. 

[Half a plot man]

Going back to the first post, what would you guy's advise we can plant in the space left by the early spuds? thought about sowing more swede?

[Half a plot man]

Could be our friend blackleg which seems to be around quite a bit this year.

DD, is blackleg where the stems turn black and decay? If so then I don't think it was that.

[sunshineband]

Without a picture this is a guess, based on what is happening on our site --- verticillium wilt.

Leaves go yellow and the plant dies back early. 

Sound familiar?

[Half a plot man]

Without a picture this is a guess, based on what is happening on our site --- verticillium wilt.

Leaves go yellow and the plant dies back early. 

Sound familiar?

Yes this sounds more likley, a lot of our plots have yellow wilting plants including peas, beans and potatoes.