You have probably already planted your first crop of potatoes for the year and are looking forward to harvesting your crop in the Summer.
Potatoes are generally fairly easy to grow if you have good soil conditions and do not suffer extremes of weather. However, the most common problem which may attack your potatoes and leave you with a totally inedible crop, is potato blight. Do check the condition of your crop’s leaves as potato blight usually hits plants in warm, humid conditions from June onwards. At first, you may notice brown or black patches on the leaves which will quickly spread to the stems causing the whole plant to then collapse. Spores spread down to the tubers causing the young potatoes to rot and become a soggy mess.
If you spot it early enough, you may be able to remove the leaves and save the plant. Mulch up your potato rows with a thick layer of hay or straw. Make sure you allow at least 3 weeks to pass before you harvest your crop, as this allows time for the potato skins to grow thicker and for surface spores to die off. It is really important that you dig up any infected tubers otherwise the spores will spread again affecting any subsequent crops. The practice of crop rotation will help to reduce the risk of blight in future years.
