Attacked by slugs.

By David Fisher.

Well, what were your potatoes like this year? Was this typical of your crop – attacked by slugs?

We usually grow at least a couple of varieties.  When we buy them, it’s usually Maris Piper as they are a reliable all-round variety.  So, this year we planted 2 bags as well as 1 bag of Charlotte and one of Kestrel.  We had some Pink Fir left over from last year’s crop so half a row of those went in too. 

I’m not sure if the dry June didn’t help when the tubers were being formed but, when we harvested, we found that virtually every Maris Piper potato had been attacked by slugs. We’re still able to salvage some of the crop, but it’s not pleasant, so we jettisoned one sack-full at the tip. 

The odd thing was that the other three varieties were hardly damaged. When I investigated further, doing a search on Google, I found that the following varieties are susceptible to slug damage: Maris Piper, Cara and Pentland Crown 

The following varieties are less prone to damage: Kestrel, King Edward, Carolus and Charlotte. 

So – lesson learned.  We won’t be growing Maris Piper again.  How was it for you?