[amandaandherveg]

I bought seed potatoes from our local Garden Centre and popped them on an egg tray on the window sill.  There's been no change in them, look exactly as they did when I placed them there 2 weeks ago.  Are they duds?  I'm new to potato growing and will be growing them in containers.

[maria]

Iwas also told to put them on a windowsill, nothing happened :? Soooo i put them in a cupboard and hey presto they have started to chitt.
Hope this helps

[vegmandan]

No whatever you do don't put them in the cupboard. :twisted:

All you'll get then is great big white spindly shoots which will just take energy out of the spud.

Never keep seed potatoes in the dark.

Just leave them in a bright cool place.
They will chit eventually but if they don't before you plant them they're certainly not dud.

[fatbelly]

Keep your spuds chitting in a light, cool but frost free place.
A window sill maybe to warm if the room is heated.
My Pink Fir Apple have been chitting for about 5 weeks now and they are just showing.

[maria]

OH MY i will go and resuce them out of the cupboard hope all is not lost :cry:  2 late for some but others ok.Thanks for the advice i`m new to potatoe growing as you proberly can guess

[amandaandherveg]

5 weeks huh?  Looks like I should persevere for a bit longer then.

[maria]

me too.... i have the same variety, (pink fir apple)  5 weeks does seem a long time oh well patience may be the name of the gardening game!! :?

[vegmandan]

I bought my Nicola in late January and the sprouts are about half an inch long now.

Chitting isn't necessary anyway,it's just the best thing you can do if you buy your seed potatoes earlier than you intend to plant them.

[maria]

Oh i didn`t know that,so maybe i will still put all the spuds in even the ones with a few long white shoots. Do you think they will grow? :cry:

[amandaandherveg]

I've only ever grown potatoes once, and that was 15 years ago.  I had a bag of spuds in a cupboard that I found with great huge great long shoots.  For an experiment I put them in the ground and they turned out a great crop, Desiree I think. Bit naughty though.

[maria]

well i think i will put them in the ground then and see what happens. Thanks for that

[bb_odiham]

I left my seed potatoes chitting for about 8 weeks - not that I knew what I was doing
I just plonked them in my hallway where it's cool and light and forgot about them.

The shoots when I planted them were about 1 to 2 inches long and green/purple in colour.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bb_matt/2382739537/

[polly nator]

Mine have been on a window sill since Jan 20 and are now just about right. Shoots are approx 1 " very strong and sturdy dark green/purple.

[matthew6476]

I bought some Wiija from our local pound shop and chitted them in the light, and planted them early march - now some shoots are starting to show above the soil.

I also found some in the cupboard with legs on, so planted them to see what would happen - shoots have appeared!

Its my first proper year of growing so am dead excited about them!!! My girlfriend thinks I am strange because I go out and check things when I get in from work. Do others do this as well?

[DD.]

I bought some Wiija from our local pound shop and chitted them in the light, and planted them early march - now some shoots are starting to show above the soil.

I also found some in the cupboard with legs on, so planted them to see what would happen - shoots have appeared!

Its my first proper year of growing so am dead excited about them!!! My girlfriend thinks I am strange because I go out and check things when I get in from work. Do others do this as well?

You have low overnight temperatures forecast from Monday, so I'd get something to cover them, like fleece, or draw some soil over them, or it's bye bye shoots should there be a frost.