Wet summer weather invariably means potato blight and this has been the case both on the allotment and on the farm where Mark has been working on the kitchen garden.  The speed with which the disease develops once it has started is really quite depressing and it is crucial to cut down infected haulms as soon as possible to ensure that the tubers will be unaffected and OK for storage.  We may not have managed this completely on the allotment as we have been busy enjoying an Olympic summer holiday, but ought to have acted in time for the harvest to see us through the winter.  On the farm it has been more of an issue as the seed potatoes were planting about six weeks later, leaving very little time for the tubers to mature, so it was a gamble trying to leave the tops for as long as possible to feed the tubers, whilst hoping that the fungus did not reach the tubers.

We have not tried a preventative copper-based spray (in the incessant rain of the early summer it would have been quite difficult to find a spraying window) and this is an option for future years.  However, Mark has seen extremely impressive blight resistance from Sarpo Mira as shown on the photo.  This cultivar is definitely worth considering for areas where blight is a real problem most years.

Sarpo Mira Aug 2012

 On the allotment a bit of sunshine has helped things to develop and the plot is looking good and as well as providing a steady stream of beetroot, beans and new potatoes, there is the promise of much more to come, with the tomato plants all looking vigorous and healthy, the cucumbers and melons and the “Big Jim” chilli starting to set fruit and the brassicas and sweet corn maturing nicely.

Looking South 9 August

 

Ripening Sweet Corn