Troubled Tubers...

[Puddleduck]

This is my third year of trying to grow a decent potato, but previously they've all been tunnelled out. I've been told by various people that it's either eelworm or slugs (although given the size of the tunnels I was surprised not to find a Python in one). Any ideas how I can stop this happening again? I've tried slug pellets but they don't really fit in with the whole organic thing.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[MKG]

Nor do slug pellets affect the culprit. That's the keel slug, which spends most of its time underground and so will never come across your pellets. As far as I know, the only really effective treatment if you have a heavy invasion is nematodes. That's not exactly cheap and you have to do it all over again after a few months - but it may be well worthwhile to get the population down. Growing potatoes in containers, although you'll get a reduced crop, will at least mean that the keel slug can't get at your tubers.

Mike

[Christine]

Try old compost bags with about four seed pots per bag (depending on size of bag, obviously). These have worked well for me. They seem happy to be bedded down on old compost so long as you top up with something more nutritious like leaf mould, soil or new compost or use high potash feed. If you fold over the tops to stop rain getting in after pulling off the haulms, you can keep them like that to store over the winter. One of my allotment neighbours has gone further and has an array of square soft containers with handles, which stand up nicely and can be moved around more easily. He says they were about £3 each and were advertised as potato growing bags.