Topic: My Spuds Have Arrived!!!

[terrace max]

Nor me, I didnt think it made any difference ...

I'm not sure our shack...sorry lovely home...runs to an adequate cool, dark, dry place anyway...

[undercarriage plan]

I troll...do I troll? Never chitted anyway....should I have said that? Erm Agapanthus, I could be....I know I'm going to the only one in Suffolk, so if it's that one, then yes, a very definte yes....I think...

[Derekthefox]

Surely the issue of chitting is more to do with preventing damage to the tubers. ie they are going to sprout eventually anyway, and the idea is not to damage the sprouts, so by chitting they are brought to a controlled stage. Planting earlier may lead to rotting ...

This is just an observation, but that may explain why success without chitting is effective, if the ground and other conditions are right, then the sprouting all occurs as nature intended ...

Derekthefox :D

[growmore]

I always put mine in egg trays  one to each compartment under bench about late Feb .then when they have started chitting(shooting)  I put trays on top of bench ..Let shoots grow on a bit ..Then rub off all but 4 or 5 shoots which are left   on blunt  end of tattie ..Then set em this end up...  
I think maybe you know then where they are going to pop up in row so it keeps em tidy and they are easier to earth  up . My Grandad learned me this way many many moons ago I have done it ever since .Whether it makes any difference to spuds You get I dont know ..Mine always seem to be ok ..cheers ..Jim

[wardy]

Growmore   Have egg tray at the ready  :)

[jennym]

Yes I use egg trays too, but straight into the light. And I do agree about the netting bag and the sprouts getting tangled up - happened to me first time!

[redimp]

Straight into the light in egg trays if I have them or large flat veg boxes if I don't.  I did nor rub any eyes off either and they seemed to do OK.  Might try rubbing a few off this year to see if it makes a difference.

MikeB, the less said about Monty's flawed experiment the better.

[growmore]

If You are going to rub some spruts off  here is how my grandad explained it to me .. :)

Look at thee seed tatty lad...Tha'll see  ar it looks like a pig (I said yes even though  at first I couldnt see it) The fat ends it's a*se and the thin ends it 's snout ...Tha allus works with seed  tatties ar*e upwards ..rub spruts off its snout and leave 4 on its  ar*e... and remember when tha sets em in ground stick its snout in floor and it's ar*e in air......Think i was about 8 at time ...jim

[terrace max]

Look at thee seed tatty lad...Tha'll see  ar it looks like a pig (I said yes even though  at first I couldnt see it) The fat ends it's a*se and the thin ends it 's snout ...Tha allus works with seed  tatties ar*e upwards ..rub spruts off its snout and leave 4 on its  ar*e... and remember when tha sets em in ground stick its snout in floor and it's ar*e in air......Think i was about 8 at time ..

Jim, that's a belter...

[jennym]

Superb Jim!

[tim]

Ours came today - Organic Catalogue.

Don't know about Monty but, surely, they'll sprout whatever you do, light or dark, when they are good & ready? How would you stop them?? Giving them light at least means that you get sturdy sprouts.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I usually plant whole potatoes, but sometimes I cut them in two if I'm short. They seem to come up just the same. I've never rubbed off sprouts; what's the idea of doing that?

[Hot_Potato]

I always buy mine from my horticultural club and never go looking for them before end of January - then I 'sit' them in egg boxes (one to each hole) fattest end upwards on my window sills (no-where else to put them) and plant out with all shoots, never rub any off.....H.P.

[wardy]

I'll go along with Growmore's grandad  :)

[MutantHobbit]

I'll second that Wardy.  ;D

 In this month's "Grow Your Own" Magazine   (http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk)  it says that Alan Romans doesn't believe in chitting potatos with loads of shoots.  He says

"chitting is known in the trade as `premature aging` and while it might speed things up in the beginning it will also speed things up at the other end - in other words your potatoes will age quicker and stop producing earlier.  Alan's tip is to encourage just one chit, snipping off all the side shoots.  If you do this, fewer but larger, tuber will be produced.  If the you leave the tubers with all the shoots sprouted and plant  them on their sides, more numerous but smaller shoots will result."

I've no axe to grind either way so I'm going to do half and half, chitted and unchitted and see what happens. :P

Alan Romans is going to be the keynote speaker at the HDRA/ Garden Organic Potato Day at Ryton, so I guess he must know what he's about, though it looks like Growmore's Granddad got there years before!  :D  Words of wisdom indeed. ;)

As people may have guessed, I'm a great fan of GYO, though I done have any shares in it, honest guv!  :P

[wardy]

I prefer Kitchen Garden to GYO  :)

[Derekthefox]

Well I think I am left no further forward now, so what am I going to do? Probably just plant them as I have always done ...

Derekthefox

[MutantHobbit]

I prefer Kitchen Garden to GYO :)

I've not seen that one.  I'll have to have a look in WH Smiths and buy one to see what it's like.  Cheers, Wardy!  ;)

Dave

[MutantHobbit]

Well, if I'm confused, Derek, I like to bring everyone down to my level.  Only fair...  ;) 

[tim]

Or my level?

http://whttp://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0204/chitting_potatoes.asp

I always thought that potatoes would sprout whatever - & that they (earlies) were normally ready when it was nearly timely to plant them? Too soon & you have a problem with frost? Funny that some of the best sources say dark, some say light!! If you wait until planting time, will they not have sprouted?

For later crops, it matters not.