[casper]

I was a bit late getting my chitted potatoes in. I was going to get them in last weekend but it was really cold, now this week its minus temperatures. Now my chits look really healthy but my potatoes are becoming wrinkled and a bit less firm. Now do I risk freezing them or am I better takin the chance and leaving them on my window ledge to see if it warms up?  

[DD.]

Don't worry about them being wrinkled, this is quite natural.

The overnight frost we're getting now won't go down into the soil very far and the spuds will be quite safe a few inches below the surface.  When the haulms  appear and we get frosts - that's the time to worry.

[arugula]

I would also say, don't worry about the wrinkles and for that reason, they should be fine if you leave the planting for another week..

[casper]

Thanks very much, there not wet or rotted or anything just wrinkled with nice chits, yeah I will hang fire for a couple of days more. If I dont get them in this weekend they are likely to remain at home till the following weekend, so would like them in just scary wheather 

[snowdrops]

Mine aren't in the ground either. Traditionally Good Friday was the day to plant. So by that reckoning I'm not late til tomorrow.

[steved]

Three weeks ago tradition was to plant on St Patricks Day, now its Good Friday-wish it would make its mind up!

[DD.]

The Good Friday tradition is rubbish. It can vary by about a month.

[casper]

Haha well my lottie full of Irish people and they say onions Paddys day and spuds Good Friday, but my little gardener mate at work swears by the 1st April for potatoes and I will just hope for the best 

[arugula]

As I said recently on another thread, ours went in mid to late April last year as the ground had been so wet and it also wasn't warming up that well. Still grew quite a few like this..

[DD.]

Mine didn't make it until May last year!

[arugula]

And some of them were even bigger!

[DD.]

'Twas the best crop for years and I'm still eating them. They're only just starting to chit.

[Grubbypaws]

So how does one decide when to plant them? One of my books says that the soil must be above 6C. Looking at the forecast that isn't likely to happen soon  What happens if you put them in and the soil temperature is too cold?

[JayG]

What happens if you put them in and the soil temperature is too cold?

Not much, but shouldn't come to any harm as long as they are at least 4-6" below the surface.

Don't forget that the soil "buffers" the varying air temperatures and at this time of year should be at least somewhere near the "target", although admittedly the recent snow did it no favours at all.

[DD.]

They'll just take a bit longer!

The soil below the surface will be warmer than the air temperature overnight. You'll find that some of the spuds that you missed during the previous year's harvest will over winter happily in the ground, and then come up exactly where you don't want them!