[svenrufus]

not strictly a wildlife gardening question, but you lot are a knowledgable bunch, so worth asking I reckon.

We have had potato blight (and tomato!) on our allotment the last couple of years, leaving large areas which may have spores of the fungus still in the soil, limiting options where to try again. Not sure it is worth it anyway, but would like some tomatoes, so intend to try once more.

Question is though, how long will spores of blight persist in the soil, how long before I can reasonably try again on the same patch where it failed in the past? If I have a fire on the ground above an affected area, does that kill spores and neutralise the ground?

Hope someone can help.
Cheers
Sven