[mumofstig]

you had a lucky escape then 

[Gandan57]

Temporary staging post for the seed potatoes before their journey upstairs!  

 

Those Charlottes are monsters.

[Yorkie]

I never thought of using the ironing board ... hmmm ...

Have the ones on the left got writing on them? 

[Gandan57]

They have Yorkie, because there are two varieties in the same carton. All the cartons have variety names on the lid flaps.

There are Charlottes and Kestrels in the next carton but no identifiable marks were required there!

[Yorkie]

Aahhhh 

[cadalot]

Looks like I've lost 3-4 potatoes from the bag of 1st and 2nd but the 2 bags of main crops seem to be OK - now I'm kinda stuck, have washed off the ones that were touching the mushy potatoes - Question now is where can I store these things until they need to chit because if the pack says plant March - May and I say I decide to plant last saturday in March then I shound not start to chitting until Feburary 16th

Lesson leant I think don't buy potatoes too early - last year I was late growing in tubs in the back garden and just bought them and put them in because they had chitted in the bags. 

[DD.]

I set mine up for chitting as soon as I get them, and that will hopefully be in the next few days.

It solves any storage issues as they will be in the frost free greenhouse. I grow about 300 and there are not many options to do anything else with them.

Don't take too much notice of recommended chitting periods. I've had viable seed spuds in June that had been chitting for 5 months!

[cadalot]

But what to do if you don't have a frost free greenhouse? - I was thinking of chitting them in the ketter shed as the light comes in the apex and the window until the growhouse has been erected and cover them in bubble wrap - and even put a nightlight candle in a jam jar to hold off frost.

[JayG]

Bringing them indoors is the only really safe option in the sort of weather conditions we are experiencing at the moment if you don't have a frost-free greenhouse - there are several posts as to what you need to do if you read through this thread.

[JayG]

Just a thought for those strapped for windowsill space - although egg boxes are a tradtional favourite for putting them in I find shallow ex-supermarket meat trays a great space saver (one 12" X 6" tray has 30 Lady Christl seed spuds in, although of course seed tuber sizes do vary.)

Place them with the "blunt" end uppermost because that will develop the most chits (the "scar" where it was attached to the plant will be at the bottom) - they will hold each other upright.

I wouldn't recommend jamming them in tightly, and would avoid using this method if the room is subject to a lot of condensation because you might encourage rotting, but it's always worked fine for me.

[snowdrops]

This is what you need Dave.  Our "Head Gardener" on the plots is 82 years old and he uses an old one of these:

http://www.grovesnurseries.co.uk/products/potato-planter-tool-11229.aspx#.UPcGFGdCeSo

That's what I've got,the chap next to me had one & lent me it one day,then when he gave up his plot he gave me it,which was really lovely,considering when I first got the plot he would hardly speak to me. My charm must have won him over

[Sweetpea C]

This is what you need Dave.  Our "Head Gardener" on the plots is 82 years old and he uses an old one of these:

http://www.grovesnurseries.co.uk/products/potato-planter-tool-11229.aspx#.UPcGFGdCeSo

That's what I've got,the chap next to me had one & lent me it one day,then when he gave up his plot he gave me it,which was really lovely,considering when I first got the plot he would hardly speak to me. My charm must have won him over

Lucky you, I've just watched the you tube clip, would a bulb planter do about the same job (more work by the looks of it though)?

[heloise]

I am lucky enough to have a spare fridge so I keep my seed potatoes in there, keeping them at a constant low temperature but not freezing, until about mid-February when I put them in our north facing, frost free, front porch to chit. I've no idea what the postman thinks when trays upon trays of potatoes appear around the letterbox 

[crh75]

I am lucky enough to have a spare fridge so I keep my seed potatoes in there, keeping them at a constant low temperature but not freezing, until about mid-February when I put them in our north facing, frost free, front porch to chit. I've no idea what the postman thinks when trays upon trays of potatoes appear around the letterbox 

Why don't you just start chitting them now? I've had them chitting for at least 12 weeks in the past with no ill effects.

[heloise]

I like to have potatoes chitting for about 6 weeks - long enouch to sprout but not so long that the sprouts grow too much, become fragile nor the potatoes become wizened.

I think it's a matter of choice, and habit, after all there's no need to chit at all if you don't want. It's part of my 'growing year' routine now; once the potatoes are out to chit I know it's not long till I put them out and sow lots of other things as well.  I prefer not to have to anticipate for too long