[John]

I must admit my attitude is that I need to keep them somewhere anyways so chitting is no additional work - except I spray with SM3 seaweed solution every 10 days or so.

Not really had a problem with sprouts breaking - in fact the only real problem with spuds has been the slugs. I have ordered nematodes this year, so hope there will be less damage.

[olde9856]

Yeh slugs are always a problem on everything bar first earlies. The nematode solution is good but pricey for a large area

[John]

Expensive, yes. I'm just so fed up of getting really nice potatoes only to find the slugs have been there before. Often it's a small hole on the outside and the inside is hollowed out. You don't find it until you take it out of the oven.

I've tried slug pellets and traps but to little effect.  I think some soils are just slug friendly.  Of course there is a warning that nematodes don't work so well on the heavy clay soils.  (Typical!)

There's another site near us where Larry has a plot and the soil is very sandy. He grows his potatoes there and has hardly any slug damage. Different set of problems entirely - the soil dries out very quickly and needs lots of nutrients to be much good.

[shaun]

i know my dad used to tell me that slugs dont like cow muck when its in the soil, has anyone else ever heared this or was it one of his many tall storys :?:

[John]

I'd not heard that - I would have thought it would make things worse as the slugs like damp and cowmuck holds the water.

If anyone knows different please let us know

[GrannieAnnie]

Hi there, although I started my little veg patch off 2 years ago, I haven't done much gardening for over 25 years owing to working in london and having a lonnnnnnng commute every day. At the moment I am a lady of leisure??? hah and wanted to grow all my own veg.  Last year I was a bit late in buying my first seed potatoes, so I put them in as soon as I bought them.  This year, I bought my seed potatoes earlier and they are chitting in my shed, but hubby says the frost has got at them and they are going green.  Potatoes go green in the light anyway don't they?  He has covered them in enviro fleece, so do you think they will be okay?  As the day got warmer the other day, they started to get a bit damp looking, so do you think they were defrosting, or just sweating a bit?  They only have little sprouts at the moment which haven't turned black or anything, sorry for sounding like a pleb.  

[John]

Hi Grannie Annie
If you don't ask, you don't know!
It's hard to tell what state your spuds are in - they don't like freezing is certain. Going a bit green and slightly wrinkled isn't a problem You need to work out if they are still alive. If the shoots are growing then you're probably OK. If not - it's not too late to get some more and start again.
Chitting helps with first earlies but isn't requireed for a crop. You just get it a little faster.
Having just done 2 days in London, I'm so happy you escaped the place! Great to visit as a tourist but working there is a nother thing

[GrannieAnnie]

Hi John, just thought I'd let you know, looked at my chitting spuds yesterday under their fleec in the shed, and their shoots are still growing, not quickly, but at least they are still there.  

I really must learn not to listen to the other half, thinks he knows everything because he grew a bit of veg when he was at school.  came into the greenhouse yesterday when I was putting some tomato seeds in small pots.  you are supposed to propogate them first he says.  I said what do you mean?  he said well you put them into seeds trays first then into pots, and I replied, and when you've run out of seed trays, you use what you've got available!!!   That shut him up!! lol