Chitting - help!

[dovesails]

My seed potatoes were delivered about six weeks ago - so I stored them in a dark cold cupboard. Just checked on them and they have sprouted about 8-12 inches in their bag!

What should I do now? Will they survive?

[alan refail]

I'm afraid the brutal answer is Chuck 'em and buy some more.

Simple rule for chitting: cool and light

Perhaps somebody will have a suggestion, but what you describe will be long, whitish, brittle shoots.

[dovesails]

I've decided to knock the spindly shoots off and see if more will come. This time in the light.

[Mole]

I think you would have been fine to plant them if you could be bothered with the hassle.

According to a book I once read by Chris Algar - (something like 'Organic Gardening' it was called - published by Chase Organics):

Experiments were carried out by carefully planting seed potatoes with long thin white shoots. Yields were higher than standard chitting. I tried it about 15 years ago, and certainly got a normal crop. I don't think it was obviously greater than normal, or I would have repeated it. It was certainly fiddly transporting and planting them though!

Mole

[Chris]

Hi

Maybe you could plant them now very carefully given that you live in Devon. But I'm very doubtful - go with Alan's advice and get some more. My KG offer Harlequin arrived ths morning and are now chitting in a light cool place.

On second thoughts - definitely buy some new tubers.

[alan refail]

I have over the past few years had to plant seed potatoes with over-long shoots - due to saving my own stock and having them chitting too early. What happens is that, if the shoots are above ground, they tend to get dried/frosted, then more emerge later. I have always had a satisfactory crop when this has happened. However, the shoots have never been white and 8-12 ins long, more like four.
Once potatoes sprout in the bag (as you often find them in garden centres late in the season), it's the devil's own job to disentangle them.
Having said all this I must admit my potato order has yet to arrive, so I'll be planting with extra short shoots this year.

Alan

[David]

Waqsnt their a lot of discussion last year about the need for chitting at all. I havnt taken the time to check the archive but had it in my head that it wasnt entirely required.

Think that Flowerdew bloke was involved.

I'd be interested in your advice before I make a huge mistake

David

[andys]

If your soil is not waterlogged, clayey nor frozen, plant them outside in early Feb and cover the rows with plastic sheeting until early April and you'll find no need to chit. The plastic sheet will keep the frost off any shoots which penetrate the soil

I was eating Maris Bard at the end of May last year even though the winter rolled on until the last week of March and didnt suffer any disease or loss of yield.

Good Luck !

Andy

[jane E]

I used to regularly plant Duke of York in February, but NOT with spindly shoots. You have to be very careful not to let them get frosted or cold, so I used to earth up and cover with heavy duty fleece. The clay I'm gardening on now 1. isn't ready 2. is too cold .

[Granny]

andys, would you use black or clear polythene?
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Granny

[andys]

Granny,

I would use clear polythene, the thickner the better or bubblewrap - you could use black poly but you would need to check regularly from Mid March to see if the shoots had poked through the soil and once this happens the should be removed.
However with clear plastic the sheet can stay on until Mid to late April when there should be no need to watch out for frost unless you live in a frost hollow.

If the soil starts to dry out peel the sheet back and give the rows a good soaking and re-cover.

Good Luck.

Andy S

[WigBag]

Andy, I am just down from Darlo and I have in previous years sown my DofY during the 2nd week of march for a crop from the 1st week of June. This year however I erected a blue pipe cloche over the bed at the begining of the year, following your success I will plant half my pots tomorrow and the rest as normal and compare. I must confess to drooling at the prospect of new pots in May!!!

[Granny]

Thanks Andy, Will do that tomorrow!
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Granny

[bigpepperplant]

I'm a bit confused about what 'a cool and light place' is... do people generally chit their potatoes inside on a windowsill in an unheated room or in their greenhouses? I have an unheated greenhouse and would love to get the spuds out of the house and into it...

[oldherbaceous]

Well i chit my potatoes in the greenhouse, it is heated though, but as long as you watch the weather incase of a really hard frost they will be fine.