How about cutting seed potatoes in half to make them go further?
I have heard of people doing this, one of the fellas down the lottie swears all you needs to do is cut out each eye with a chunk of spud and plant away. Funny though he doesn't grow potatos?? ???
I'm too chicken to take the risk though! ;)
I worrry about the increased chances of the tubers rotting off before they get going.
You can even get a small crop by planting peelings. my father always did it like that when we were broke ::)
Whenever I take the lid off my compost bin to fill it, there are loads of shoots reaching for the light.
cj :)
Makes your seed potatoes prone to desease too.
This started here in the Spanish Civil War. Larger seed potatoes are quartered, we tried it last year and had good results.
We used to do this when times were hard :) and we didnt have enough to buy seed potatoes. Normal eating potatoes were cut in half and the cut ends were dipped in flowers of sulphur .. I have also cut seed potatoes in half when there hasn't been enough left to complete a row ..It works ok ..
No one has mentioned the most essential point;
When cutting them ensure that there is an eye/chit on each section,
No point in cutting in half and planting both top & bottom as only the top (rose end) will sprout.
Meaning the cuts must be made from top to bottom (vertical) and this should ensure a better chance of getting at least one eye/chit on each section
last year when i went to anglian potato day one of the potatoes i wanted was gone and all that was left was broken bits which they promptly gave me and they grew fine. He said that as long as i was not growing potatoes in the same place the next year i would be fine just a smaller yeild.
Also read it was common practice during the war for housewives to cut a chunk out of spuds to plant and cook the rest.
Thought that was a bit obvious TeeGee!! ;)
My mate on our lottie said they used to do this when he worked on a farm in Ireland, all the large ones would be cut in half and planted as per usual, I may try it with a few large Kestrels I have, but I'm sure you have to cut them in advance so the open cut cures, what ever happened to Phil our resident spud expert.? ??? ;D ;D ;D
Many many years ago I grew spuds and cut them in half as well, but I wish I had Tee Gee's advice then as a fair few didnt show.....probably no 'eyes'.
So I think its fair to say its very obvious if you know the answer, I certainly didn't then ::)
Quote from: Biscombe on March 29, 2008, 15:01:53
Thought that was a bit obvious TeeGee!! ;)
Hey, nothing is obvious to some of us ;D. Trust me!