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the Christmas decorations to the shed this morning - always a tinge of sadness - I stopped off at the greenhouse to harvest the last of our Christmas potatoes.We planted a variety of spuds in pots and compost sacks when we got back from holiday at the beginning

I'm in a quandary over what to do about potato blight (Phytophthora infestans), a fungal infection that causes foliage to develop dark patches and can result in the rotting of the tubers. We didn't seem to suffer from it at all on my last plot

for growing 'belt and braces' veg like potatoes, cabbage, carrots and onions. Our raised beds at home will be used for growing what he views as culinary cul-de-sacs like broad beans and courgettes.One thing we both agree on is potatoes - we both love them

August can often feel like a tricky time on the allotment. Lots of things like salad potatoes and beetroot have been harvested, leaving large gaps or whole beds free. Then there's the interruption of a summer holiday - should you sow anything new

and used shop-bought ones to fill in any gaps. I also used garden centre manure rather than collect it myself from the stables and planted more potatoes than usual, since they're relatively trouble-free.I'm so glad that I did. A long term commitment

lucky the Central Committee for Agriculture may plant some of my annual flowers for the cutting bed I had planned, but for all I know they could be planning to dig the whole lot up and plant nothing but potatoes!