4 replies to this topic

[Cornish Gems]

Our first question is based upon the instructions which accompanied the bags of seed potatoes we bought. In the days when we had part of an allotment, we used to put our seed potatoes at the bottom of old brown paper potato sacks and keep them in the garden shed until we were ready to plant them. They sprouted very well producing lots of big yellow-green sprouts and the potatoes grown from them were very satisfactory.

However, we notice that these Home Guard, Javelin, Sharpes Express and Duke of York seed potatoes all come with instructions saying to place them in trays in the light. We have followed these instructions, but the potatoes don't seem to have done anything yet save for the sprouts to turn dark hard green.

We are growing the potatoes for own use only, because obviously commercial growers would not have the time or space to spare. We would like to know whether anyone else bothers to chitt their potatoes?

[Romany]

I think it's a matter of preference - I seem to recall Carol Klein (of Gardener's World) or some such person saying they never bother and always get good results. Perhaps is more down to how well the soil is prepared (I imagine a looser structure would enable more potatoes to grow than compacted soil) and how much manure etc has been put in prior to planting.

I think the idea of chitting is to have fairly short green shoots (which you say you are getting now) rather than long straggly yellow ones (which you got when you left them in the sacks). I always put mine in the half light (i.e. under staging in greenhouse (if I had one that is!) - best of both worlds?

Good luck anyway

Romany

[foodhero]

We chitted 600kg of seed potatoes in the loft last year to avoid frost.
Never again up and down the ladder moving the trays so that they each got enough light. They need good light but not hot direct sunlight.
It does help to get your potatoes a head start the idea being that long shoots have used up moisture and nutrient from the tuber to grow up to the surface.
Practically try planting potatoes with long snappy shoots its time consuming and you break most off any way.
You can of course plant un chitted potatoes into the trench and lightly cover them that way the shoots dont have far to go then earth up regularly the thing to remember is that soil keeps the potatoes warm over night so protection may be needed. If the shoots get scorched by frost that sets the crop back not too much of a problem with main crops but if your going for new potatoes its always nice to be one of the first to get a good price. last year the wholesaler was paying £15 for12.5kg in the early weeks

Your ideal spud will have little tight green shoots if you have a lot of shoots expect lots of smaller potatoes less shoots generally means larger potatoes but less of them per plant.
Covering the soil with black sheeting will help to raise the temperature in the soil


We have asked our seed supplier to grade the potatoes and put them back into cold store to deliver as late as possible (March) hopefully this means they can go straight into the ground with protection. There isnt enough room in the caravan for us and the spuds.

foodhero

[shepie]

Hi foodhero

Would you mind me asking at what rate / acre you sow the potatoes and what varieties / earlies or main etc

Thanks Shepie

[homegrown]

Hi

We always chit our potatoes so that we have small shoots rather than longer ones and have always done well. We have also seen that the longer the shoot the smaller the potatoes are.

Hope this helps.