Francis (Seán) Donoghue asked 11 years ago
I have sowed new potatoes and kerr’s pink potatoes in back Garden which has not been sown in years The new potatoes were perfect and clean, they turned out great big and floweryThe Pink potatoes are bit scabby but seem ok to eat, very flowery, What causes the skin to be scabby
1 Answers
Gerry Daly Staff answered 6 years ago
Potatoes can be attacked by scab diseases. One is common potato scab which usually occurs on light limy soils and powdery scab which happens on heavy land.
Adding organic material helps both, by acidifying a light limy soil and by opening up heavy ground. Some varieties are more prone, such as Kerr’s Pink, and common scab is worst after a dry summer. But a dry sunny summer is also responsible for the flouriness of the potatoes.
