Should I chuck 'em out?

[mysterio_3d]

Hi, I got some Charlotte seed potatoes from the garden centre a few weeks ago and put them in egg boxes in the shed covered lightly with a white lightweight fleece to keep a bit warmer during the cold spell.  The chits on them are very slow to appear, only about 2-3 mm, and very dark - almost black.  They have also gone quite soft. The Pentland Jav's and King Eds that I started chitting at the same time are also slow to appear but have maintained their firmness and arent really soft at all.
Should I throw out the Charlottes and find some more or are they just normally fairly soft?
Advice greatly appreciated.
Ben

[mysterio_3d]

[Rosyred]

If they have chits I would plant them to see what happens but then I don't like throwing things away.

[star]

I have planted soft chitted potatoes, they'll be fine

[morton]

Try spraying them with water.

[Pesky Wabbit]

Only chuck them them if they're squishy and rotten. Soft is fine.

[Trevor_D]

Potatoes often go soft when they start producing shoots. (I can't remember enough of my pre-O-level science to explain why, but it might be to do with starches & sugars & things - or something like that.)

Which reminds me - I need to go through my stored spuds and remove all the shoots, or by Easter I won't have any worth eating.

[grawrc]

Tell me about it Trevor! I went into the cupboard where I store my potatoes (we've not been eating any to get rid of Xmas bulge) to find triffids issuing from the bags.... :-[ :-[ :-[

[mysterio_3d]

Thanks for the super-fast replies.  I guess I'll hang on to them and give them a go.  Fingers crossed eh!

[Robert_Brenchley]

I've planted soft spuds many times, and never had a problem. Once they start growing, they're using up water from the spud - there's no other source while they're chitting - so they lose turgidity (water pressure which keeps them firm), and go soft. But they're perfectly healthy.

[Lauren S]

I just dug up the last of my Charlottes yesterday. They were planted at the end of August and haven't had any tops since November. They tasted great. Very firm and no slug damage at all. I was delighted  :)

[star]

Fantastic Lauren, I reckon I will plant some this year about august time. Did you save the seed from spring or can you but them later in the year?

[grannyjanny]

When is the time to plant charlotte potatoes. I want to grow some in the black flower buckets.
Janet.

[Lauren S]

Did you save the seed from spring or can you but them later in the year?

I bought them from T&M only because Jeannine said she was growing some potatoes for Christmas. Yes they were ready at Christmas, we had them with cold meat and salad on Boxing Day...Delish.
I'm sure some people grow them in the black buckets and place them in their greenhouses too.

[star]

Thanks Lauren, I will do that this year  ;) :D

[Kea]

The starch turns to sugar, the plant uses the sugars to grow and produce the shoots. If you were going to move something really big you'd find it easier to break it into smaller bits. Starch is made up of long chains of carbohydrate which is in turn made up of lots of sugars joined together this is not easy to move around so when a hormone signals it's time the plant enzymes break the carbohydrates into the smaller sugars and they are moved to the places they are needed i.e. the shoots. This causes the tuber to soften, perfectly normal.

[mysterio_3d]

Makes sense, it's just confusing as a lot of sources say not to plant soft seed potatoes.

[cornykev]

Take the advise here Mysterio, soft spuds no problem, I keep mine in the shed but I don't bother with the fleece. ;D ;D ;D