Monty Don has warned gardeners to beware of a common threat.
The BBC Gardeners’ World presenter has issued a reminder about potato blight, a fungal disease that can devastate crops during the warm, humid conditions of July.
Potato blight typically affects plants above ground by rotting the stems and leaves, eventually spreading to the tubers underground.
Mr Don said: “One of my yearly rituals is to dig first early potatoes on July 8th, my birthday.
“I now only grow first earlies because the risk of blight is so great.
“Potato blight is a fungal disease that rots first the haulms and then, as it is washed into the soil by rain, the tubers making them unstorable if not inedible.”
He emphasised the speed at which the disease can spread.
The television gardener said: “The fungi develop very fast when the temperature is high and the air humid for 23 hours and these conditions are becoming increasingly common in July.”
Mr Don advises removing all foliage immediately if blight is detected.
He said: “The crop can be saved if the foliage is removed immediately after the telltale chocolate coloured circular areas of the leaves are noticed – they quickly spread and collapse.”
Once the foliage is stripped, the tubers should be left under a good soil covering and harvested on a dry day.
He advises favouring first and second early varieties, which are less likely to be affected due to their shorter growing season.
Mr Don also recommends planting blight-resistant varieties.
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These include Sarpo Mira, Cara and Setanta.
He also suggests choosing an open planting site with good airflow to help the foliage dry quickly after rain.
Crop rotation and preventive fungicide applications starting in June are also recommended.
A second application should be made a few weeks later to protect new growth.
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