When to get seed poatatoes ?

Don't panic!!!

There will be loads in the stores come January. Apart from Wilkos, any reasonable garden centre as well as the big DIY stores will have them.

Personally, I would not entertain paying postage on seed spuds, but I appreciate some are in a position whereby they have no choice.

Panic over then,thanks for that

there are plenty of good garden centres nearby.

Will they be sold per kilo or per spud or what ? and are they expensive ?

The large chain garden centres will sell them by weight, pre-bagged.

I use a family run one, which sells them by weight, but you can pick the spuds out individually.

Last year they were £1 a kilo for all varieties, a massive increase on the 99p the year before. Expect to pay a lot more at somewhere like Wyevale. Wilkos are about the same price as my garden centre, but have a restricted selection.

Of the top of my head on average you'd get 20 to 30 in a kilo.

The large chain garden centres will sell them by weight, pre-bagged.

I use a family run one, which sells them by weight, but you can pick the spuds out individually.

Last year they were £1 a kilo for all varieties, a massive increase on the 99p the year before. Expect to pay a lot more at somewhere like Wyevale. Wilkos are about the same price as my garden centre, but have a restricted selection.

Of the top of my head on average you'd get 20 to 30 in a kilo.

Now I was having a bit count up of the average tubers we have in our nets and so far for potatoes graded on a 35x60mm Size the results were-
1.5kg = 17 tubers
2.5kg= 28 tubers

Now some varieties are bigger than others and you don't get as many small ones but that was conducted using 15 different varieties and should give a good reference point I hope.

If you are going to chit your seed you will need it 6 weeks before you expect to plant.
Buy seed that has not started to shoot. Many of the gargen centres keep them too warm and they start to grow too soon.
How to chit?
The aim of chitting is to advance the lifecycle of the potato so that when it is planted it immediately produces a root system.

When you get the seed, store it cool but frost free until about 6 weeks before you expect to plant.
At that point bring the seed into the warm for about a week or 10 days. This will break the dormancy and they will produce shoots (chits) in the eyes.
Once you can see chits, move the seed into a cool place with plenty of light. They will only grow slowly and the light will keep the chits short. If you keep them in the dark the chits will become leggy and are easily knocked off when handling.

Earlies and second earlies will bulk up earlier as they have already started their life cycle.

Maincrop will also bulk up sooner, which may be an advantage in a blight year if you need to cut the tops off. The other advantage is that if the planting conditions are poor you can wait almost until May and lose very little as the potato clock will still be ticking in your shed.

A final comment on how many seed to a kg? It is common agricultural practice to plant by weight and not by number. i.e. small seed slightly closer and big seed further apart. Thus a kg of seed should always plant the same row length. Average earlies 12 inches and maincrop 15 inches.

If you are going to chit your seed you will need it 6 weeks before you expect to plant.
Buy seed that has not started to shoot. Many of the gargen centres keep them too warm and they start to grow too soon.
How to chit?
The aim of chitting is to advance the lifecycle of the potato so that when it is planted it immediately produces a root system.

When you get the seed, store it cool but frost free until about 6 weeks before you expect to plant.
At that point bring the seed into the warm for about a week or 10 days. This will break the dormancy and they will produce shoots (chits) in the eyes.
Once you can see chits, move the seed into a cool place with plenty of light. They will only grow slowly and the light will keep the chits short. If you keep them in the dark the chits will become leggy and are easily knocked off when handling.

Earlies and second earlies will bulk up earlier as they have already started their life cycle.

Maincrop will also bulk up sooner, which may be an advantage in a blight year if you need to cut the tops off. The other advantage is that if the planting conditions are poor you can wait almost until May and lose very little as the potato clock will still be ticking in your shed.

A final comment on how many seed to a kg? It is common agricultural practice to plant by weight and not by number. i.e. small seed slightly closer and big seed further apart. Thus a kg of seed should always plant the same row length. Average earlies 12 inches and maincrop 15 inches.

Thanks for that great advice there.

Hi.. going again'st the general run of this thread,
I ordered my tat's on line this year.
Simply because last year locally, there was very little choice at the G/Center. plus they were expensive, average £4/5 per bag 2/2.5kgs.
This year ordered 5 varieties of my choice, 3kgs or each.
Yes I've spent a few more bob, even allowing for postage,
double or more tatties, I'm still in pocket.
 
I'ts each to there own realy,

Bye PAH 'in