[IanYORK]

 

The leaves on the shoots coming up on my first early potatoes have gone black.  Is that a frost that has gotten to them?   It looks pretty terminal.   Will they survive and grow normally, or should I get rid now? My plot neighbour is suffering with the same problem too...

Thanks for your help.

Ian 

[mumofstig]

they will come back if it's just the tips that got frosted, but may be a bit later than usual.
I'd protect from further frost if you can.

[MoreWhisky]

Most of my friends seem to be hit with this in Yorkshire last night we had a keen frost  .

I actually bought some extra fleece and went round and fleeced my earlys last night. I only put one layer on them and the frost got through. So i  put 2 layers on tonight and made sure my second earlies and mains are well earthed up tonight.

[IanYORK]

Thanks MoS.  The green shoots were only starting to show...darn slow this year, then the frost hit them...I'll wait to see if they survive okay.   Are you thinking of hay to protect them?

Thanks, 

[solway cropper]

We had -3 here last night but I managed to get all my tatties fleeced or the containers dragged into the greenhouse. The frosts a couple of weeks ago caught them but they recovered quickly enough. Trouble is they are so far on now that I can't afford any setbacks. I've even got flowers coming on some vales emerald planted in a container!!

[IanYORK]

We had -3 here last night but I managed to get all my tatties fleeced or the containers dragged into the greenhouse. The frosts a couple of weeks ago caught them but they recovered quickly enough. Trouble is they are so far on now that I can't afford any setbacks. I've even got flowers coming on some vales emerald planted in a container!!

Flowers already? woh!    Never realised that potatoes were so sensitive to frosts...lesson learnt!  

[Kristen]

As per http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=56537.msg667027#msg667027 I've put grass clippings on mine (under two layers of fleece) as the two layers of fleece didn't stop the tips going black the first frosty night (and that only got down to about 1C)

[dig4victory]

Thought we would be Ok in the Home Counties but noticed the spuds in containers looking droopy and a bit burnt this morning - I hope we haven't lost them! our plants are really big and lush now, keeping them crossed and will be putting the pots in the polytunnel for a while now I think till either they recover or frosts are DEFINITELY over!

 
...

[dig4victory]

the tips going black the first frosty night

Have spuds been known to recover with black burnt tips??

[DD.]

Spuds will recover even if frost gets all the leaves, it will obviously knock them back though.

If only the tips have been burnt, it will hardly affect them.

[dig4victory]

Phew, thanks - a bit of comforting news to give my husband when he gets home and starts panicking!!

[purplebean]

I covered mine with a double layer of fleece and a double layer of week control fabric as I couldn't find anymore fleece, it's in the shed somewhere!! In any case I went out first thing today and yesterday to uncover and make sure they got light and they are doing just fine 

[Runwell-Steve]

It was certainly cold last night, I popped outside at 1am and there was ice on the roof of the car.

Haven't been to check on my tatties yet but they were well earthed up so I hope they were OK.

[bigben]

I did not have any fleece so ended up using weed fabric - I also thought about standing a watering can full of hot water under the fabric to act as a hot water bottle for them - bless!

[IanYORK]

Panic over, the spuds are recovering.  Just covered them with some hay, seems to have done the trick.   Sun probably helped today as well...