A problem with my spuds!

These potato plants look as though they have been blasted by a shotgun or hit by lots of tiny hailstones, but it is actually insect damage.

The damage has been caused by 'Earwigs' and although the holes look rather random here, it is more usual to see them (on plants with very broad leaves) arranged in straight lines across the leaf.

To avoid using chemicals on this problem you have to start early (my mistake - I didn't). Earwigs hide during the day and scrunched up sheets of newspaper can make effective traps. Over time, they can help you keep the population down, but at this stage they are unlikely to do much. This late in the day, you could try rummaging about in the yard, turning stuff over to find them or going out at night armed with tweezers, but just putting up with scrappy looking plants is probably the only practical option. Don't worry though, they won't damage the actual potatoes.

For information on various methods for ecological gardening, Click here.