Topic: Do you chit all your potatoes at the same time?

[vicki.m]

Last year I grew Rocket and Desiree potato, I bought them in January chitted for a month then planted them all in March and dug them up the Rocket in late June and the Desiree at the end of August. I got a good harvest from the Rocket and an ok one from the Desiree.

This year I am being more adventurous and have ordered the following:
Rocket
Pentland Javelin
Lady Chrystl
Kestrel
Desiree
Cara

So my question is do I start chitting them all and plant them at the same time and dig them up at different times or do I delay the starts too? I have  never grown so many varieties but as potatoes were the most succesful thing on my allotment last year I thought I would try.

[Chrispy]

You want to start chitting as soon as you get them, as you do not want them shooting in their packs or in the dark.

I read that the mains should go in later, but I don't see the logic, so hopefully somebody else will exsplain.

August is early to be digging up the Desiree, you would have done better leaving them longer, you wait for the tops to die down on mains.

[flitwickone]

i chit mine all at the same time then lump the lot straight in

[plainleaf]

i rarely chit my potatoes.

[gavinjconway]

Speaking to my father in law who has grown great spuds in Scotland for 30 odd years... he never chits them.. Basically like a farmer who cant chit due to mechanical planting. So what's good for a farmer is good for him. It just delays the growth by a week or so.

[Pescador]

The classification of potatoes as First Early, Second Early, Early Main, Late Main etc., is due to the length of time they need to mature.
So plant them all at the same time and you'll get your First Earlies first, Second Earlies second etc.
The main reasons that commercial growers do not chit their seed are:-
a) The cost of a chitting room, temperature controlled with lighting, that's only used for a few weeks every year, but big enough to chit
x tonnes of seed.
b) The cost of the equipment needed to carefully transport the chitted seed to the production fields, and design and production of planting machinery that can handle chitted seed without breaking off the chits.

So, in answer to your question Vicki, they can all be planted at the same time, and they can be chitted or not depending on your available space. Try to keep a record of planting/harvesting dates and yield and let us know how they all do.

Main thing is Enjoy!

[pumkinlover]

Good advice from Pescador.I will get mine at the end of January and will chit them. It takes me a few days to plant my spuds- we eat a lot! but out of habit I always start with the Earlies, then seconds, then maincrop. That way when you are digging them up it is easy to work out where to start. Labels are a must!

[vicki.m]

Brilliant. Thank you for your advice once again  :)

[Flighty]

This website is really useful - http://www.jbaseedpotatoes.co.uk/

[manicscousers]

 Do you chit all your potatoes at the same time?




Yes  ;D

[cornykev]

Hi Vicki
Yes I always chit them at the same time
They are chitting away from the cold damp soil, if they were in the soil they would be sitting there doing nothing
While they are chitting they are getting a head start
I stagger my planting
1. It takes too much time to put them all in together
2. Late frosts will slow down the growing process
3. I put in 2nds and lates weeks later
If you buy them together then chit them together
As flighty says check out JBA you won't find any better info on spuds.   :D

[Deb P]

I only grow earlies and second earlies now which escape the worst of blight, so I always chit all my seed potatoes, and also cover my potato beds with manure and black plastic in Feb three weeks prior to planting to warm the soil, then fleece them for a month after planting. Works for me! ;D

[chriscross1966]

All my homegrown seed have been sat on a north-facing windowsill for weeks now. My homegrown are mostly novelty stuff plus a few breeding experimentals etc.... FOr my "bulk" stuff, Rocket, Lady Christl, King Edwards (this year), Setanta, Sarpo Axona (or Kilfi if I can get it), most of the PFA and something big for baking (taking suggestions) they'd go out together, but TBF if I could get hold of some ROcket now I'd be planting them any day (in the GH in big pots, on the soil-warming cable)... PLan this year is to actually grow  decent quantities of the "sensibles" plus useable quantities of novelties (mostly blue spuds)... Bulks get planted into heavily manured soil with a dusting of sulphur (it's slightly alkaline round here), novelties generally get pots... the exceptions are the fortyfold and yetholm gypsy, they'll get ground, and the Rockets (in ASAP in pots for earlies in April/May)....