Christmas spuds

[Mrs Ava]

One of my rocket spuds, left at the bottom of a sack in the kitchen has sprouted lovely long thick strong 'chits'.  Tomorrow it will be setting up a new home the biggest pot I have along with a new companion, potting compost and water, and all being well, I can tip it out in the midst of winter and enjoy a handful of new pots!




fingers, toes and eyes crossed!

[Mrs Ava]

[shirl]

Please give us progress reports!!

I will do mine this week  :)

[Debs]

I have just done mine - although not expecting great success,
as the potatoes are leftovers which I found chitting away in
a forgotten corner in the greenhouse  ;D
I have planted 3-4 tubers in acouple of old compost bags and
will top up with a few grass clippings mixed with compost.
I shall report progress at christmas time !!

Debs

[carloso]

whilst whiling the hours away (yes ys im getting to the potatoe thing) i believe the programme was No Going Back

the lady on the programme was actually cutting the chitted potatoes in half of 1/3rds ready to plant !

My question is is this possible ??? or would it just bugger the potatoe up ???

Carl

[Robert_Brenchley]

It's perfectly possible; I've sliced them many times when I didn't have quite enough seed. I've heard that in WWII they were growing potatoes successfully from the eyes left in potato peelings.

[Jill]

Just have to make sure you have eyes on both halves.

[Mrs Ava]

So they can see if they are coming or going!  ;D

[Roy Bham UK]

 ;D Ooh! Emma you are awful, but I like you ;D

[carloso]

ow right i might just try this experimental of course and not becoause im tight and from Yorkshire !!

so my next question is the pros and cons ?

im guessing maybe a little more prone to diesese??

carl

i should have seen that one coming !!! maybe ill keep my eyes on the script in future lolol

[redimp]

They are allegedly more prone to blight for some reason.  Don't quite know why this would be as blight is not around when you plant them in March.

[Mubgrub]

I've got an old book by Lawerence D. Hills that says "Four years of trials in school gardens have shown the economics of halving seed potatoes.... The average yield form 49 tubers in seven popular varieties was 161lb while the same weight of seed as 98 halves yielded 284lb."

He advises dusting the cut surface with lime to dry it before planting out.

Perhaps its worth a try with a few tubers?  The book is from 1960 though..... 

Mub

[Looby Loo]

It's perfectly possible; I've sliced them many times when I didn't have quite enough seed. I've heard that in WWII they were growing potatoes successfully from the eyes left in potato peelings.

A mate of mine in the pub claims that the best new potatoes he ever tasted grew from discarded peelings in his compost heap! So there might be something in it..

[redimp]

I have a great potato plant growing through the hatch at the bottom of my home compost heap - it is full and I cannot transport excess constents to lottie bins until the potatoes are ready.