Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Russell Atterbury on January 07, 2023, 11:12
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This morning in Wilko's I picked up Javelin earlies and Desiree main crop. Being pretty useless at what happens now, can anyone tell me how to store/keep them and any other information for a first timer.
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Everthing you need to know is in the 'vegetable growing section'.. :)
https://www.allotment-garden.org/vegetable/potatoes/
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Everthing you need to know is in the 'vegetable growing section'.. :)
https://www.allotment-garden.org/vegetable/potatoes/
You beat me to it Andy :D
Russell, look at the bit about chitting, specifically :)
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so the early bird catches the seed potatoes A it was the same at Dobbies when we went there yesterday they where filling the shelves with seed potatoes it seems a bit early for me to buy seed potatoes because its going to be several weeks before we can even consider planting seed potatoes we ordered our seed potatoes back in November for delivery mid February free delivery if your order is £50 quid then we box um up in our potato boxes and keep them in a cool but frost free place
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So folks, I have had a bit of a first read in Andy's link....Oh my, what have I done.....daunting prospects come to mind. Anyway, it seems that I will have to store my seed for a while yet, maybe in the allotment shed which should be cool and dry. Hope for the best seems like the next step, and read more, and more....I am sure there will be other posts from me to follow on from this.....thanking you all as always.
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Don't get to hung up about chitting, first earlies, 2nd earlies etc.. for the first time growing spuds I would suggest the following while reading up and getting to grips with different terms.
1. Keep your seed potatoes somewhere dry, frost free with light if at all possible. (They don't need chitting prior to planting, just some folk do)
2. Anytime between mid march & Good Friday (easy day to remember) take your seed potatoes & plant in your prepared ground.
3. Remember what you planted where, your first early Pentland Javelin will be ready 60-110 after planting, your desiree maincrop 125-140 days after planting.
4. Water regularly, harvest when ready & enjoy.
That's the basics of growing spuds!
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This morning in Wilko's I picked up Javelin earlies and Desiree main crop. Being pretty useless at what happens now, can anyone tell me how to store/keep them and any other information for a first timer.
Have you moved back to England May I ask as I thought you were based in Russia? Or are there Wilco’s in Russia
:lol:, but I see your location has changed
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Don't get to hung up about chitting, first earlies, 2nd earlies etc.. for the first time growing spuds I would suggest the following while reading up and getting to grips with different terms.
1. Keep your seed potatoes somewhere dry, frost free with light if at all possible. (They don't need chitting prior to planting, just some folk do)
Given those conditions, the potatoes WILL grow (chit) whether you want them to, or not :lol: :lol: :lol:
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I have been googling for information as to help keep my seed for a few weeks, and some people say that keeping them in the vegetable section of a refrigerator should work.......in a paper bag that is. What are the thoughts of you folk?
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It depends on what facilities you have to store them.
I use my shed. When I am just storing seed potatoes, I keep them boxed or bagged up away from the light. It is the same principle as storing potatoes to eat. If the weather is particularly cold, I throw some fleece over them.
Once I want to chit them, I lay them out on the shelf under the window and let them get some light. Again the fleece is close by and used to cover them if needed.
I have used my unheated greenhouse to chit them before now. This is a bit more risky as the temperatures in there can dip really low. I used a couple of layers of fleece underneath them on the staging and then had a few more layers to put over them.
Can you borrow a bit of space in a shed or garage of a friend or neighbour, if you don’t have either yourself?
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Seed potatoes will chit away happily for months if necessary as long as they are frost-free and exposed to light - the tubers themselves may shrivel a little with time, but the chits will remain quite short and sturdy and will remain viable for planting (I once had a few 'spares' which were still OK in August having been chitting on a north facing bedroom windowsill for 7 months!)
If they are allowed to chit in the dark, the shoots will be long, white, and a bit too fragile for planting out, in which case you can rub them off and start again in the light if time permits (otherwise just plant them without re-chitting - they will take longer to grow than if chitted, but will still grow.)
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as I said in my previous comments its my preference to box up all my seed potatoes to get good chits on them prior to planting but again everyone to there own on the farm I worked used to box all the seed up in what we called the chitting shed no windows just strip lighting and they would be in the shed until planting the potatoes had really strong shoots by that time so I like to plant our potato crops the same with good strong shoots
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I have to say how interesting I find all your replies. Each one has what seems a quite different approach, and all a proven method. I don't want to set the cat amongst the pigeons, but it would be a relevant topic to hear how you would all respond to my particular idea of putting the seed (earlies first, come March) in the ground. I have only taken on my allotment since the late summer, and could only get manure to a quite small piece that I have plans for with other vegetables. So my idea, for this time at least is to put a double handful or so of chicken muck a few inches under each seed, in the hope that it will work wonders. My lady friend in Germany does this with tomato in big pots, and she only has to water for the whole season. I have witnessed very impressive results from this.
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You can buy potato fertiliser which has all the specific requirements for growing spuds.
There you go - another thought.
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Just be careful how early you plant them unless the potatoes are going to be under cover/fleece. I have lost first earlies to frosts in May when they are through due to being planted I never mid March
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I always stagger planting my first earlies only planting a few each week and I prefer to earth up as they come though so requires being vigilant.
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I like that idea Enfield Glen. So, for just two people would you say planting maybe a half dozen weekly should extend the earlies season and be enough?