[engineer]

Next year I am considering growing spuds in containers, this is because each year I have grown in the open ground the crop has suffered from scab. My soil is sandy and has a pH of 6.5-7.0 I understand that a high pH could be the cause, spuds needing about 5.5. What I am going to try is mixing my own growing medium and adding nutrients. The mix would be something like ericaceous compost, well rotted horse manure (2 years old) compost from the compost heap and chopped bark, all in equal quantities  plus nutrients. Does this sound plauseable?

[solway cropper]

A simpler alternative might be to lower the pH of your potato bed by an application of sulphur. I grow earlies in containers but always have a few rows in open ground and that was the way I found to combat scab...and keeping the plants well watered.

[engineer]

Thanks for the reply, I had considered sulphur, but one of the problems I have is lack of watering facilities, we don't have a water supply on our site so I rely on collection and target watering, something I may be able to control with containers.

[JMCKG]

I grew mine in containers this year, great success and will not grow in ground again. Less work, no digging, cleaner spuds, you don't miss any also. I used various materials, compost, pod compost we get from council, straw, horse manure etc. Added some potato fertiliser.
Now wondering if a I can use spent hops along with compost next year.