Monsters

Has anyone found that there seeds potatoes seem larger than usual this year? some of mine are bordering on jacket size, ive never seen them like this before. they come from a supplier out spalding way lincs

well to be honest i dont buy seed pots, but ive seen them in the shops this year and they are not 'jacket' sized! why dont you name the supplier and the variety of potato you've bought?

So it's not just me then?

I got some PJ's from Wilkos' a few weeks back and noticed their's were larger this year compared to last. Bigger than a ping pong ball, but not quite a tennis ball size.

Let's see what happends as they get more stock in over the season though......

cara is the variety and they are from Hilliard and Porter of spalding. im not sure if it was something to do with the exceptionlay mild year last year

Enormous my Cara crop was this year, along with some others. It might well have to do with the weather.

It's easy to suspect that low-cost seed potatoes will not have been screened as carefully as more expensive ones (another way of saying that it's a good way of getting money for potatoes which are too big to really be considered "seed" sized!) 

My 2.5kg bag of JBA Lady Chrystl had 40 seeds in, a few of which are really a bit too small, and a few definitely larger than hen's eggs, but on the whole a pretty good effort. 

I've noticed some of the seed potatoes in Wilkos are pretty big (as big as I'd buy for mashing and roasties) - and with 6" chits on them, albeit white and spindly.

It's easy to suspect that low-cost seed potatoes will not have been screened as carefully as more expensive ones (another way of saying that it's a good way of getting money for potatoes which are too big to really be considered "seed" sized!) 

Seed potatoes are well regulated by DEFRA. It is illigal to sell seed potatoes smaller than 25mm. Usually they are graded as 35mm - 60mm which means that they will pass through a riddle with a 60mm mesh but not through 35mm mesh. They may of course pass though their thinnest part if they are oval. I think the grading size is stated on the certification label which should be on every pack or,if loose from a big bag, on the big bag.

Commercial growers plant by weight of seed per acre. If the seed are large they space them out more. If they are small they plant them closer.

Big seed can be cut in half. Make sure there are chits on both pieces. Pat the cuts with some kitchen towell and then keep in the warm until the cut surfaces have dried. The edges of the cut will wrinkle a bit as you chit them. If you delay cutting until just before planting give the cuts time to dry over properly before putting them in the ground.

mine from JBA (CARA, Arran Pilot and Charlotte) are almost exactly the same in number from the same weight ordered suggesting that for JBA at least they are consistent in size and hence consistent as numbers of seed potato in each kilo. Duck egg size each one.
R