What has happened to my potatoes this year?
Stefan says: Your varieties are the maincrops ‘Setanta’ and ‘Cara’ and you say you’ve grown potatoes for many years but this is the first time they’ve been affected in this way. You wondered if it might be slugs but the holes are tiny and go right through the tubers. They are, in fact, caused by wireworms. These are the larvae of click beetles and as well as potatoes, they also cause damage on many other kinds of plant, root crops especially. It’s unusual for them suddenly to become a problem. Cultivate the plot as thoroughly as possible but if the problem persists, you may have to stick to earlies, which are much less likely to be affected.