The big news this spring is the infection of the group manure the plot committee had clubbed together to organise and buy from the stables. Unfortunately shortly after coming through, the shaws of the spuds started to wither, curling in on themselves. Originally i thought it was infected seed potatoes but then others on the plots were affected - maybe it was airborne aphids, but then why were so many people affected spread out across the site, whilst some in between were okay.
Turns out that this is a recent problem which is becoming more and more of an issue - farmers are spraying grass to control weeds, the hay is harvested, sold via hay merchant to stables, horses digest and poo, and eventually the manure (after breaking down for a year or two) comes to growers. One of this blogs loyal readers in New Zealand commented that it was a problem down there!! Plots across the whole of Edinburgh have been affected. It is galling that this not only has affected organic growers unwittingly compromising their growing but the fact it stay in the food chain for so long signals the strength, which is itself worrying and reminds us of the chemicals that are throughout food. Dow, the makers claim it is safe to eat produce from affected areas - but then they would say that wouldn't they.
