Potatoes and Brown Spots

Question to Pat:
Potatoes have the brown spots starting. Sprayed with worm tea this week. Don’t like the idea of copper spray…. holding off. Blight is really a problem and this is a brand new bed with organic soil from El Corzone. Thx so very much for any information. Got totally side tracked again in your book this morning.The hazard of being an information junky. Tree on the left is the real problem. Will keep worm-tea going on both.

Answer from Pat:
Maybe nothing you can do can save the potatoes this time, but wouldn’t hurt to try Serenade, which is not poisonous, kills some blights. Next time start in place where you didn’t grow potatoes before and lighten up soil with organics below and plant as pages 140, 141 in my book, with mulch above as described in book. Your problem is heavy soil and too much rain. Raised bed would help, or barrel method for planting potatoes. El Nino years are a problem for potatoes in heavy soil.

The soil you purchased may have actually been the problem. But the huge amount of rain followed by heat is what did it. Did you use seed potatoes or one’s you purchased at store? If latter, not a good idea. No, don’t use poisonous sprays, but dusting sulfur is okay to use. Gardens Alive also carries some cures for blight. Check their catalogue and online too. Their free catalogue is very good.