Topic: Cutting spuds ???? why why not??????????

[laurieuk]

It would be very interesting for someone to tell us what decease is spread by cutting. blight is airborne, scab is caused through soil conditions.   

[markfield rover]

My father's father grew poppies from peelings just for fun , so not much help to you but I will ask someone whose father was a gardener on a large estate in the 20's and I remember him saying his father did something similar , back soon.

[Hector]

Jeannine
My Father used to cut them. He then used to stick the cut edge in a mustardy coloured powder...no idea what it was. He did what his Father did with most of his gardening, so assume that's where he got this from ( his Father was a gardener on an Estate pre-post WW1.)

I don't know why he did it but I do know he used his magic mustardy coloured powder when he wintered his Begonias too.

[Jeannine]

It is always a mystery to me that I cannot find loads of info on this subject. I always get lots of options on how to do it and much of it is fascinating but still I cannot get a real answer as to why.

We got a couple of folks who do it for economy and a  couple of "don't do" for disease prevention , and one interesting answer for cutting to help the spud rot which in turn benefits the new potato.

I have tried several times to get an good clear answer on this topic. I have sat in meetings with gardeners and asked and still I get what folks do but not why.

I have come to the conclusion that this may be the same as the Jewish question " why do you cut the end of the brisket before you cook it?" Mum did it, lets ask her, Grandma did it , lets ask her, Great Grandma did it lets ask her... Great Grandma explained because her pan was too small and it became a habit.

So I figure that this is the case here, no one really knows why they do/don't do  it, they always have, their Dad did. their neighbours did etc etc.

I doubt we will never truly know.

XX Jeannine

[Hector]

I think you have hit nail on head. A lot of what I do in garden is what I remember seeing my Dad do. Maybe this was more the case in past before Internet/Allotment4all forums existed...so you copied what you saw.

I also wonder if there would be regional trends. In knitting I used to tuck needle as that's what my relatives (Scots) did...then discovered the Internet and circular needles and taught my girls...so they don't anchor needles like my relatives/ ancestors.

[Jeannine]

Hector, I knit all the time, I make Prayer Shawls and Baby Layettes, when I am working in Shetland 1 ply wool with over 900 stitches on I too work on circulars but for needles I can't knit with them  tucked under my arm, and if I use a long needle not tucked under I get bruises so I only knit on 10" needles.

XX Jeannine

[Silverleaf]

I'm the same! My mum taught me to knit and she tucked her long needles under her arms, but I never got the hang of that and flap all over the place. Circulars are wonderful.

I like crocheting better though, just the one hook to deal with. ;)

[markfield rover]

I asked my mate whose father was a professional gardener way back ....he grew potatoes from peelings to show off, no other reason.

[Jeannine]

Now that is the best answer yet.. to show off.. well as gardeners most of us like to do that sometimes.. well done, you win the prize!!

Anyway mine are now in. some cut some not. I must admit I was  more tempted with one batch as the potatoes were fingerlings  in small expensive packets  and one was huge, but I stuck to my guns and planted them whole, so in the planting there was one big enough to bake and one as small as a walnut plus variable sizes in between. In another planting I did another bag of the same kind  which again had big and small in, these I cut in half.. so we will see.

XX Jeannine