[kisacat]

I have a whole plot full of early Swift variety potatoes. Within a week of their showing above ground, nearly every one appears to be blighted. The small leaves (hardly 1-2 inches above ground) have turned greyish and shrivelled.

I've been growing potatoes for several years and have never had this happen before. No potatoes were grown in this plot last year, and potatoes from other plots were fine.

There are two differences from last year; I bought the seed potatoes from a different supplier and instead of digging in my home made compost, I used well rotted horse manure.

I am attempting to rescue them, but don't hold out much hope. I've removed and destroyed  the leaves (all of them in some cases) and sprayed with Bordeaux mixture. I'll give them a couple of weeks to see what happens, but am resigned to digging them all up and destroying them.

Have I just been unlucky? Is this blight or possibly something else? or have I made a mistake?

I have another plot of Maris Pipers which I am now concerned about (not to mention the tomatoes).

Thanks.

[stompy]

Welcome to the site Kisacat.

It's not blight, it's frost damage.
Nearly everyone has suffered from it and it's not just potatoes, even toms (etc) in greenhouses have copped for it.
Don't worry they'll come back again.
You might want to think about getting some fleece out though.

Andy

[DD.]

For blight to occur, one of the factors is a minimum temp of 10c for 2 consecutive days.

I don't think that's happened!

[madcat]

You are also not the only one making this mistake - see all the threads on here about frost damage! My poor seedlings.     Earth up or fleece to protect them from now on until the frosts are done and they will just have been set back a bit.  

(It would be the end of the world to get blight now ....  As DD says, blight is for warm and wet times.  The warm bit seems to be a touch late this year.   )

[Runwell-Steve]

I agree, this is almost certainly frost damage, unless you live somewhere particularly warm.  nearly everyone in the UK has suffered from the late frosts this year with their early potatoes.

As long as not too much damage has been done they should recover.  I don't know where you are located but I would keep an eye on the weather forecasts as their is a chance of more frosts yet,  it does generally look to be warming a bit though so if you are down South then you should be OK.

If you put your location in your profile it will help us help you as the weather is very different depending on where you are.

[kisacat]

Thanks to all of you for your very helpful advice.

I live in Amersham, Bucks, on the edge of the Chilterns - so there may well have been frost damage, although there was no overt sign on the ground. Interestingly, a couple of tomatoes in the greenhouse had suffered from a bit of leaf damage.

Thanks again.

[IanYORK]

It has to be frost - happened to me too, but they are recovering now 

[Wombat]

There was frost on the grass at 7am on Weds morning at my Mum's in west London - not that far from Amersham.  Yet there was no sign of it an hour later, it is no wonder it is catching us by surprise.

[diggerjoe]

After thinking my earlies had bit the dust with frost - they are recovering so give them a bit of time and they will sort themselves out.

[IanYORK]

mine recovering too now