Topic: Shooting potatoes

[peanuts]

Where we are, in SW France, I have to lift potatoes earlier than  Herts, UK, as they will start to shoot while still in the ground by mid August.  I grow Rosabelle as  mid early and keepers, and Pink Fir Apple as lovely potatoes for the winter as they always have the texture of new potatoes even when cooked in a stew. 
However, Rosabelle start shooting by the end of Sept, and now the PFA are shooting as well.  I go over them all every couple of weeks removing the shoots.  I keep them in the dark and cool. 
Is there any way I can stop them shooting?

[saddad]

Commercially I think they keep them in cold storage, 4 or 5 C if I remember rightly... so unless you have some big fridges........ Have noticed that some of my Red Dukes have started sprouting... which is usually a late December thing

[peanuts]

I meant to ask also the best way to keep some of the PFA that I want for planting next year.  i keep them in the dark in a paper bag.  But they are also shooting now.  Would I be best keeping them in light, in an egg box, so at least the shoots will stay small and sturdy?

[pumkinlover]

What would happen if you planted them later in the season, so they matured later?
Is the climate suitable for later sowing?

[saddad]

If it's just some, say 20-24 for re sowing then the salad drawer of the fridge is fine, check on them regularly though as condensation can be an issue. Don't repeatedly save your own, as viruses will build up and reduce yield and risk spreading diseases on your plot.

[peanuts]

What would happen if you planted them later in the season, so they matured later?
Is the climate suitable for later sowing?

Because our summers are both often hot, and wet, blight is always a problem.  So I think that would be  a problem if they were still growing during say August.  The temperature of the earth is warm, and it is the local farmers who warned me that I need to lift potatoes earlier than I'd expect, as they would be shooting already underground.

[peanuts]

I wondered about keeping them in the fridge instead, which is 3-4 degrees. 
Yes I know there is a risk of planting my own crop.  I do that for a couple of years, then buy more in the UK.  But we're not often there at the right time to buy them!  Have to say that the crop I get from my own seed has been superb.

If it's just some, say 20-24 for re sowing then the salad drawer of the fridge is fine, check on them regularly though as condensation can be an issue. Don't repeatedly save your own, as viruses will build up and reduce yield and risk spreading diseases on your plot.

[BarriedaleNick]

I have been planting the same PFA for over 6 years now and I find that they never sprout (and I get fabulous big ones)
I pick them in September and bag them up in the garage then leave them over winter - eating them as I go.  Even in April/May they never seem to sprout and I throw them back in the ground again and miraculously they grow.
Is it just temperature that affects the sprouting?

[Jayb]

Would I be best keeping them in light, in an egg box, so at least the shoots will stay small and sturdy?

I would.

I quite often select and put potatoes I'm saving for growing next year straight onto egg trays in the Autumn. I find keeping them cool and in a well-lit spot keeps them from chitting too early and if they do sprout, the shoots remain short and sturdy. 

[peanuts]

Thanks very much for all the comments.  And i'll go and retrieve the PFA from their paper bag this morning!
I can only assume that the different  climate here (warmer and wetter at times) affects the potatoes in some basic way, if BarriedaleNick's PFA never shoot.

Would I be best keeping them in light, in an egg box, so at least the shoots will stay small and sturdy?

I would.

I quite often select and put potatoes I'm saving for growing next year straight onto egg trays in the Autumn. I find keeping them cool and in a well-lit spot keeps them from chitting too early and if they do sprout, the shoots remain short and sturdy.