Slugs eating my potatoes

[Digeroo]

 Had a bit of a firkle round my desiree and slugs are having a field day.  Eating the centre and leaving just the skin.

First year for a long time there has been no blight and I have been slugged.

Still got some earlies to eat to had not checked on the main crops.  They seemed ok.

[Digeroo]

[galina]

Had a bit of a firkle round my desiree and slugs are having a field day.  Eating the centre and leaving just the skin.

First year for a long time there has been no blight and I have been slugged.

Still got some earlies to eat to had not checked on the main crops.  They seemed ok.

When I have empty potato shells like that, the culprit are usually the voles.  Slugs at best take second hand advantage.  I have runs that the moles made, which the voles seem to use to get around unseen, and there are some under the potatoes.  I am collapsing them as fast as I notice where they are (not usually seen from above, but dislodged plants tell their own story).

The problem is watering.  The bits that get watered is where the worms retreat to.  Then the moles follow which eat the worms, then the voles ...................  and if the runs are near a couple of potato plants,  there are the most damaged ones, the others are ok.  Spotting it in time is the skill I am trying to acquire.   

I planted some courgettes next to the earliest potatoes which were puddled in and the above happened and some of the second harvesting potatoes got eaten.  It's a neverending battle.  I am trying bottles on sticks now where I know moles are (thanks for the advice, I think it was Ancellsfarmer).   

[Digeroo]

May be voles as well.  What a drag.  But caught the slugs at it. 

Looks like I will have to harvest all my potatoes.

Will try bottles on sticks.  I will put one every time I find a mole hill. 

Compost bins are busy with voles.  They seem to be something of a des res.

[johhnyco15]

dug up 3 rows of nadine this week only 2 slugged seems like ive been very lucky this week coming digging up 3 rows of estima hope its the same for them thanks for the heads up

[Silverleaf]

Some varieties are definitely more slug resistant than others. All my first earlies are up now, and there was exactly no slug damage on Foremost and Pentland Javelin but Swift and Maris Bard had a lot of damage (about 30% of tubers affected).

I think something else made the initial damage (round tunnels sometimes right through the tuber) but the slugs moved into the holes and started hollowing them out.

[Silverleaf]

I don't think I have voles. Never seen one anyway.

[maureen.alder.9]

I have seen some frogs on my allotment this year dont know where they come from but hopefully they are eating some of the slugs but my problem is my athlete potatoes have got a lot of scab on them does anybody know what causes scab  I would be grateful for any advice

[picman]

Offer the slugs something easier, a little pile of old potato / veg  peelings , somewhere near your spuds so the tops shade it, wet well and cover with a solid black plastic seed tray , check and remove beasties regularly ....works for me...

maureen... sorry frogs don't eat slugs, unless starving ...

[Silverleaf]

Scab is caused by microorganisms in the soil, and it's made worse by dry conditions during tuber formation, and alkaline soil. RHS suggests plenty of organic matter, watering during tuber formation, and liming after potatoes in your crop rotation. Some varieties have scab resistance.

I don't worry about scab as long as it's not too bad. The potatoes are still edible, they just look a bit funny. You can always cut the scabby skin off, or peel the whole thing if it bothers you.

[Paulh]

... my athlete potatoes have got a lot of scab on them does anybody know what causes scab  I would be grateful for any advice

Go to Boots and get a fungicide for athlete's foot?!

Back to topic, Kestrel always survive slugs with few damaged for me and Charlotte also this year which I grew for the first time.

[Silverleaf]

Perhaps we should make a list of slug-resistant varieties! I agree that Charlotte should go on there, they always do well for me and taste good. I have a few growing in straw bales as an experiment this year just to see how they get on.

[Silverleaf]

Glad to hear Kestrel are fighting off slugs too, I have some of those but haven't harvested yet.

[Digeroo]

My potatoes are very scabby I think this attracts the slugs.  I understood it was too much lime in the soil.  I try to wrap mine in comfrey when they are planted.  But they soon grow out of it.   

Growing in bags of compost is supposed to help.  Exhibitors use them to get perfect potatoes.  The bags have holes in so the roots can get to water.   

[galina]

My potatoes are very scabby I think this attracts the slugs.  I understood it was too much lime in the soil.  I try to wrap mine in comfrey when they are planted.  But they soon grow out of it.   

Growing in bags of compost is supposed to help.  Exhibitors use them to get perfect potatoes.  The bags have holes in so the roots can get to water.

I agree with all said about scab.  It really is not a big problem (compared to the other problems of potatoes).  Something 'green' in the planting hole at planting time (HDRA/GardenOrganic recommend comfrey, but it could be a handful of cut grass), is supposed to help.  A problem with alkaline soil everywhere, not a real nasty, just cosmetic. 

[hinks87ford]

HI new blogger ,Hinks87fofd I have an allotment in Swindon (wall heath) Kingswinford .I have had this plot for three years . This year I am trying the no dig system it is doing great . Any back to pests we have started having trouble with Squirrels, eating sweet corn and beetroot, we are now fitting back we have got some snap traps and we caught one last night the first of many we hope.

[Silverleaf]

My soil is acidic, so I'm not sure what's going on there! To be fair i only ever get mild scab, but it doesn't bother me anyway. I've never bothered liming.