[al78]

I've had an e-mail from a friend earlier this evening, claiming there are signbs of blight on her allotment, and suggested I go and look at the community allotment to see for myself. The Sarpo variety are untouched, hence she thinks it is blight. My allotment is only about 50 meters away so that might mean goodbye maincrops. Best cut the haaulms of the second earlies when I next get to my plot, they are ready to harvest so should be able to save those. I have got three rows of maincrops which I was hoping would be stored for eating until next Spring.

It is really doing my head in the weather in this country. First it is bone dry and blazing hot, and it is a struggle to keep everything watered regularly. Now we have a complete reversal to dull and wet for a couple of weeks, and the blight rears its ugly head. Honestly, can't we for once have some happy medium weather instead of this constant swinging from one extreme to another. 

[Salmo]

All our weather is medium. We do not get extreme drought, extreme heat or extreme cold. Medium/medium weather would be boring.

Your potatoes, whether seconds or main, will have done most of their bulking by now. If you have blight it would be better to cut the tops and have a reasonable crop than get them all blighted.

Weather forecast is showery for the next week so if you have blight it will only get worse.

[al78]

All our weather is medium. We do not get extreme drought, extreme heat or extreme cold. Medium/medium weather would be boring.

Your potatoes, whether seconds or main, will have done most of their bulking by now. If you have blight it would be better to cut the tops and have a reasonable crop than get them all blighted.

Weather forecast is showery for the next week so if you have blight it will only get worse.

By swinging from extremes, I meant extremes relative to the local climatology, not extremes relative to anywhere in the world. It has been unusually dry for the first half of the year, now has switched to cool and wet, looking to persist. I was kind of hoping the weather would revert to a couple of nice days then rain (i.e. normal) pattern, not rain every day with hardly any sun. I'll have a look at the potatoes this evening and cut the haulms down and bag them if necessary.