Potato and tomato plants can be affected by blight, so what can you save of your crop? Here is what Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall does.
Potato blight. When browning on leaves first appears, don't act immediately. When it affects more than half of the leaves, cut down the foliage just an inch or so above the ground. Remove the cut foliage and dispose of it (either bury under a deep layer of compost or burn it). Leave the developing potatoes in the ground, harvesting as needed for at least 10 days but not more than 20 days (fewer if waether conditions are wet).Then lift remaining potatoes on a dry day, store them 'dirty but dry' (i.e. don't wash them) in wooden or cardboard boxes, covered, in a cool place.
Tomato blight. Don't plant tomato plants too close together, especially if grown in a greenhouse. If blight strikes, it is fast and usually devastating. Strip off all the foliage. Pick the biggest ripe and unripe tomatoes, and a few more may ripen on the plants before they die. Unripe tomatoes can be ripened indoors.
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