"Nick Maclaren" wrote after
"Bob Hobden" writes:
|
| I appreciate that Nick, I know I am being illogical and unscientific
but all
| my life I've had experts tell me things only to do about-turns a few
years
| on, so in the case of diseased plant material where the possible long
term
| contamination of my soil is at stake I will always be cautious.

But that's half the point! Blight ISN'T a soil-borne disease, let
alone a durable one - even if you get the overwintering strain, it
won't cause long-term contamination of the soil.

The same isn't true of spraing, which can be imported on contaminated
seed potatoes and probably in compost/soil. I have had to give up
maincrop potatoes because of it, and the only solutions are either
drench the whole garden to a depth of feet in truly evil chemicals
or not grow any potatoes (or all Solanacea?) for a decade :-(

And it's not true of half a dozen other diseases, either, which
can be imported in soil/compost or on seed potatoes.

Have you tried any of the Spraing resistant varieties of potato?
I know they tend to be the common farming varieties and you like growing the
more obscure types but anything is worth a try, even those varieties will
taste a lot better grown yourself with TLC.
Caesar
Fianna
Hermes
Record
Rooster (early MC)
Slaney
These all come at at 8 out of 9 so should be quite resistant.
--
Regards
Bob Hobden