"Baz" wrote .

"Bob Hobden" wrote in
"Baz" wrote ...

Vicky wrote ...

Bob Hobden wrote:
Is it me or is it a bad year for scab? Whilst our earlies and
second earlies had little damage our maincrop Victoria which are
usually clean are badly infected. Dry spring perhaps?

We've only just lifted our 2nds, and I agree, there does seem a lot
of it. ANnoyingly, Nick made me buy something for him that is meant
to reduce scab, but he never got round to doing it. (as with
soooooo many things)


Scab here too, some on first earlies which we are still lifting.
Everything gets watered normally, but not often enough lately.
I have no second earlies as Pentland Javelin as first earlies seem to
fill that gap.
I have 2* 6m rows of maincrop Marris Piper and Cara, and seeing your
post had a looksee and they are riddled with scab. I only put them in
as a last minute decision because last year was the same and had a bit
of space where I tore out the brussels sprouts which had a bad
infestation of whitefly.

Scab just looks bad though, doesn't it, no real harm. If you boil them
they go mushy quickly as well?

I can come around to living with it. Bloody well have to now! The Deed
is done.


There are more resistant varieties we might try next year.....
(depends which scab it is)
First Early....
Arran Pilot; Home Guard; Swift;
Second Early and Maincrop....
Admiral; Celine; Golden Wonder; Hermes; King Edward; Nicola; Russet
Burbank; Saturna;

That said we got our "Mayan Twilight" up today as they too had
finished growing and no sign of scab at all, not a "maincrop" spud
though if you see what I mean, a smaller tubered special that makes
the most beautiful sauté spuds and cooks in half the time.
Our Second early "Kestrel" were not too badly affected either.


Only got "Stemster" still to get up but that is still growing.


Well, it looks like you have covered your bases and grown a very large
selection.

My first earlies were Arran Pilot which have only slight scab, but the
rest I have not grown.
A lot of people around here grow Golden Wonder as you have. I am going to
give them a go as they are the type I like(floury) and why not?


I think you miss-understood me.
This year we grew
Earlies... Printaline and Inova (both excellent, best earlies we have ever
grown)
Second Earlies... Kestrel (a little scab)
Maincrop... Victoria (usually excellent but bad scab this year), Stemster
and Mayan Twilight (no scab).

What I mentioned are the varieties that are scab resistant to some extent
that we may look at for next year instead of Victoria.