[AllotmentSi]

Hi all,

I've been gardening for many years but not got into the fruit and veg side of things primarily due to lack of space!

I have recently acquired a 25m X 6m plot in my village and can't wait to get cracking. I was left by the last tenant and I have spent many hours so far clearing the site and am slowly but surly digging/weeding and adding a wonderful free supply of very well rotted horse manure!

A few weeks back, I got some early seed potatoes. These have been chitting for a few weeks and look good. The first question I have is that the books tell you to get the chits about half an inch. Some of mine are there already and its (I assume) still a little early to get them in the ground - how is the best way to store them for a few weeks? They have been chitting in my kitchen where its fairly cool and bright (not direct sunlight).

The other questions is surrounding Onion sets. I also picked up a load when I got my spuds - they have been kept in the dark on a hall cupboard to date and I noticed that some were looking a little shrivelled - am I storing them in the right conditions?

Many thanks in advanced!

Simon

(attached is a picture of half the plot in pre the digging marathon!)

[JayG]

As long as the chits look strong and are a purple/green colour they should be OK (your chitting conditions sound ideal but the kitchen may be a bit warmer than you think it is.)

Long, white chits are what you want to avoid as they are weak and most will break off when planting.

As for the onion sets, it is normal form them to lose a bit of their water content on storage but should still be firm - best to dump any really soft ones, which may actually be starting to rot.

[stompy]

The potatoes need to be kept somwhere cool or cold preferabbly otherwise the shoots will grow long and leggy.
If yo have a greenhouse or well lit shed i would put them in there to try and hold them back but bring them indoors if a frost is forcast.

As for the onion sets, they could be getting a little too warm and be drying out, once again get them somwhere cool/cold until your ready to get them in.

You could plant the sets now but you would need to cloch them.

Andy

[AllotmentSi]

Thanks guys! The chits are purple/green and look (i think) what they should do. There is one spud that looks like its starting to rot at the bottom (but the chits look ok) - should I dump this one?

With regards to maincrop that don't need chitting, shall I keep them fairly dark/cool too e.g in the shed and bring them in with any frosts?

[JayG]

Once the dormancy has broken it's very hard to stop spuds chitting - some say you can store them in the fridge but then you'd have to watch out for signs of rotting.

Best to give them the same conditions as the others as far as possible - chitting is considered to be less of an advantage for maincrops because they are longer in the ground and "hitting the ground running" is less of an issue.

You could try cutting off the rotten part of you suspect spud and let the cut area "heal" over, but if you've got plenty you might as well dump it.

[stompy]

Deffinately remove the potato thats beginning to rot or it'll spread  

I would put the maincrop in the shed too, so long as it's well lit but it won't harm chitting the main crop too.

[sunshineband]

Please don't think about storing your seed potatoes in the dark will you, as then you will get those lovely long, pale shoots that are useless.

Bright light is needed of course 

[stompy]

Thats what i said in both my posts 

[nobby400]

Onion Sets should be stored in a bright area not in the dark.

[DD.]

I don't think light is too critical a consideration when storing onion sets, humidity and temperature are far more important.

Many store theirs in the bottom of the fridge where they will get little light.

[sunshineband]

Thats what i said in both my posts 

I was agreeing with you 

[like diggingk]

thanks allotmentSi i was going to ask the same quistion 
now i know what i have to do thank all 

[AllotmentSi]

Thanks very much all....I'm sure this will be the first of many questions posted on here!!

[Stuppla1]

The potatoes need to be kept somwhere cool or cold preferabbly otherwise the shoots will grow long and leggy.
If yo have a greenhouse or well lit shed i would put them in there to try and hold them back but bring them indoors if a frost is forcast.

As for the onion sets, they could be getting a little too warm and be drying out, once again get them somwhere cool/cold until your ready to get them in.

You could plant the sets now but you would need to cloch them.

Andy

Why do you need to cloche the onion sets, I thought they were sposed o be frost proof?


[edited to fix quote]

[stompy]

Im not sure spring sown ones are frost hardy, but if they don't start to grow due to cold conditions let alone frost, they could begin to rot in wet conditions (this used to happen to my Autum sown garlic cloves) but with a cloche over them the soil will warm up and give them a good germination temprature and avoid too much moisture.