[Baldy]

I think next year I'll just be doing a little row or two of Lady C. potatoes.
My Sarpo's have been very resistant to blight but have come a cropper to wireworm and slugs. The plot had been overgrown with grass when I took it on, so maybe the wireworm won't be so bad next year but ,my, it was disheartening. I think that about 50% of my crop was unusable - there were some lovely sized tubers  - turn them over and full of holes.
I think for the amount of space they are taking up I'm just going to have to cut back on what I grow.. keep it to first earlies then bash in something else for the rest of the growing season.

Cheers,
Balders

[Ma Lowe]

Sorry to hear you haven't had a good harvest of potatoes Blady. Last year all our Desire were lost to the wire worm, as you say very disheartening. This year planted some Arron Pilot out on the plot and the potatoes are nice and tasty but oh so small and so few. I have Cara ones to harvest soon so hoping for better things.

[sunshineband]

Wireworm can cause tremendous damage. The best way to reduce numbers is a two-fold attack

1. Dig out every one you can, and feed them to someone chickens as a treat

2. Come the Autumn, make your self some "potato kebabs" from half potatoes on sticks (so you can find them again) and bury the potato part about an inch below the soil surface. Take these up once a week and remove every wireworm either in them or in the surrounding soil. If you have a no-show, move the kebab over about a metre.

That will make sure you have far fewer next year.

It can be done (she say,s speaking from experience as my plot, like yours Baldy, used to be pastureland)

[al78]

I have heard that sowing mustard as a green manure helps with wireworm. Apparently something in the mustard stimulates the eggs to hatch, as they think potatoes are nearby, and they hatch out, then die of starvation as they have nothing to feed on.

[Steve_LF]

Keep the fiath!

I've had my allotment for about 5 years now and the first couple of years I had wireworm problems, but keep digging and planting year after year and the problem will gradually go away.

Of course, killing the little blighters will help too!

[3759allen]

i had wireworm problems last year (first year). keep on top of the weeding and get rid of any grass paths.

this year i've had very limited problems with them so far, i won't shout too much as i haven't seen how the mains have done yet but fingers crossed.

[barley]

I turned some more lawn over to veggie plot - kept it covered for 12 months with black plastic to kill the said grass

needless to say when we uncovered it there were wireworms everywhere , my chooks thought it was Christmas 

I think they seem to like grass areas so avoid letting grass get a hold on the plot

very entertaining seeing my chooks trying to scoff as many as they could before the others got them 

[nannytroll]

And why is it, that when half the crop has been damaged by slugs/worms/moles/mice and coypu, the only ones I spear when digging up, are the unblemished tubers?

[Nobbie]

Mine have been badly hit by slugs this year, has anyone used the nematode treatment successfully?