[RJR_38]

I can understand why small ones might not be so good as there isn't much of a food store etc but why are ones that are too big bad?

[JayG]

I'm just appreciating how awesome my allotment shop is! 80p a kilo and got 14 uniformly sized lady Christl!

So, are house prices affordable in Portsmouth?     

I can understand why small ones might not be so good as there isn't much of a food store etc but why are ones that are too big bad?

No growing problem that I'm aware of, although half of mine this year are too big to fit in egg boxes for chitting ( ) and because they were bought in what seems to be the new standard-size bag of 2kg, compared to previous years there aren't enough of them in one bag for my very modest requirements. 

[Steveharford]

Picked up a couple of bags of spuds from wye ale yesterday. They have a pretty wide selection and not all in large bags. Also a few sold loose. Also got some enviromesh half price. Oh and some bfb at two for one. And to top it a good bag of Niger seed at the till for a quid. Actually no, to top that I used Mother in Laws gardening club membership to get my seeds at half price, thus saving another tenner. Happy days.

[MrsLev]

I'm just appreciating how awesome my allotment shop is! 80p a kilo and got 14 uniformly sized lady Christl!

So, are house prices affordable in Portsmouth?  :

If my allotment shop sold houses they would be very competitive!

[JayG]

Good answer MrsLev! 

[gavinjconway]

Brilliant shop prices there MrsLev.. 

In reply to the chitting post..

To my way of thinking "chitting" is just a way of waking up the sleeping / dormant old spud. The eyes start to grow their chits and get into growing mode. If you think that chitts are not big enough after 4-8 weeks of chitting don't panic. If it has taken 6 weeks to get to 1" or 1/2" in length it just means its awake and ready.

When you think about it - the chits grow 8-16" (depends on planting depth) in the first month after you plant the spud out and turn into leaves etc... and would not have grown that much had they been left in the garage chitting. Therefore its just a formality to get them awake. Farmers dont chit and they have hundreds of acres grow into potato plants. So don't panic too much about chitting.. Get your seed spuds as and when you can, place in upturned egg boxes or module trays and keep them in a light but cool spot out of direct light. Mine are in my garage on the shelves. They need to be short 'ish greeny/purplish in colour and not long and pale. If they are white lanky chitts you need more light - rub them off and start again.

Hope this makes sense

[oldman65]

seed potatoes should be graded i got mine from wilco javalin & dessire label says basic scotch seed graded 35mlx60ml these are good size seed check grading size if in any doubt complain they should have scotch seed label on them with size marked on it

[afcb]

We get our main supplies from the Lottie shop but always get some unusual ones from the annual potato fair. 14p per tuber, pick your own, excellent value.

Only problem is that Mayan Gold are now my fav and they don't have them on the forms this year. They seem to be 75p each on the internet!!

[mumofstig]

seed potatoes should be graded i got mine from wilco javalin & dessire label says basic scotch seed graded 35mlx60ml these are good size seed check grading size if in any doubt complain they should have scotch seed label on them with size marked on it

Mine were marked as such, but when you think about it - a 35ml round spud isn't very big at all 

[Annen]

I'm just appreciating how awesome my allotment shop is! 80p a kilo and got 14 uniformly sized lady Christl!

Mine too! £2 for 2.5kg of Desiree, but unfortunately the Lady Christl, which I think was going to cost £2.75 per 2.5kg, didn't turn up at all this year.

[surbie100]

mine say 35-55mm on the bag, but some are HUGE and lots are quail's egg size, not hen's  . Two 2kg bags, one each of Lady Christl and Charlotte. The Lady C's were more uniform in size and had 37 spuds in. The Charlottes were wildly different. 25 spuds in total - and 9 of those were mutants. £5.75 each bag, free p&p from an offer last year.

Next year I'm going to find somewhere that does them loose.

[crh75]

Mine are due to be delivered tomorrow, so it will be interesting to see what sizes they are!

[4 Seasons]

Had mine delivered today from JBA Potatoes and they were a mixed size ranging from a gobstopper to a large kiwi fruit. Trouble with the small ones is that it is difficult to cut off the rose end eyes without taking a lot of the potato with them.

I would buy them loose from my local shop too if they would stock the varieties I like but they don't so I have to order  them by weight and chuck out the poorest or give them away. You can spend a lot of time trying to source the varieties you like in your local shops to no avail.

[crh75]

Why do you need to cut off the rose end eyes?

[4 Seasons]

Why do you need to cut off the rose end eyes?

It will be easier if I just send you a link.

http://jbaseedpotatoes.co.uk/info/help-and-advice/chitting-potatoes/