[Ema]

For the first time my hollyhocks have got rust this’s year. I snipped off the worst.

However is the rust on my spuds or the dreaded blight, I’ve never had such small spots for blight.

I didn’t get these in until mid end April as was too busy elsewhere in the garden so they are not quite ready but I don’t want to effect my tomatoes who are miles behind.

[JayG]

Very hard to be certain, because potato leaves have nearly as many ways of showing they're not 100% happy as their tomato cousins.

Pretty sure it's not late blight, which has large brown spots which look 'wet', and the spots don't look like bulls-eyes which hopefully rules out early blight.

Could be one of several trace element deficiencies - I'd try a liquid feed which contains micronutrients and/or seaweed extract.

I would also of course be watching them like a hawk in case it suddenly becomes obvious the leaves and stems are starting to die.

[Ema]

Thanks Jay

I’ll keep a close eye on them, the weather here has turned humid so they will get blight at some point I’ve never had a growing year without it

[Ema]

Well they are looking worse today

I’ll give them a good comfrey feed this evening. But I’m also contemplating the chop

[New shoot]

Is it worth trying a basic general purpose feed before you chop, as it doesn't look like blight.  It was a really, really wet autumn and winter and the soil will be at low ebb.  I have been chucking Growmore around and am getting comments from other plot holders along the lines of 'why are your plants doing better than mine ?'.

I am not knocking comfrey feed.  I use pelleted chicken manure a lot, but I thought a balanced feed as an option would not be a bad idea 

[Ema]

Thanks new shoot I’m trying not to use artificial inputs on my garden.

This soil is pulled out of a bank (long storey) so it wouldn’t surprise me if it was very poor even with the good 2 inches of mulch top dressing

They haven’t had the chop just yet, no sign of bruised stems like you get with blight will give them another comfrey feed over the weekend