When to start chitting potatoes

[Primrose]

I've been given a small bag of seed potatoes (pink fir and two other unknown varieties) by a friend. As I've never grown potatoes before and intend to grow these in the 3 free Potato Grow Bags I received last year for renewing mhy KG subscription, I wonder if somebody can tell me how soon I should start chitting them. I don't know whether the two "other varieties" are Earlies or Main Crop and don't know whether Earlies should be chitted before later varieties. Also, I'll be struggling to find a growing location for these containers in good sunshine. Will potatoes grow in shade?

[Mike Vogel]

It is important to keep them frost-free, Primrose, but I would try to keep them inthe dark for the moment. Keep checking them to make sure the shoots don't get too spindly. When they are about half an inch high, or in mid-Feb, whichever is the earlier, get them into a cool, light, frost-free place. The chits will not grow too spindly then.

The problem for me is that the potatoes arrive far too early and my dark places are either susceptible to frost or in sometimes-warm bedrooms. I like to order in Jan, put them under the bed when they arrive and get them started in Feb.

Good luck
mike

[Monika]

Our seed potatoes arrived far too early this year, sorry, last year, just before Christmas. I kept them in the garage at first, opened but still in their net bags, but I was worried that mice might nibble them (they sometimes come into the garage when it's very cold outside). So for now they are in the insulated underdrawing, cool, dark and temperatures around 5 to 10 degrees. I look at them every few days and so far only Sante is showing any signs of life, just a white dot in the eyes. When they show signs of sprouting, I will start chitting them in egg boxes in the cold greenhouse, covering them up with bubble plastic on cold nights but bringing them into the house if/when it gets really cold. The problem is that, if you sprout them too early, then they need to go into the ground which, in our case, we can't do until April because we can still get frosts into early June. You, Primrose, would probably plant them much earlier, so if they show any signs of sprouting, I would start chitting them.

[Johnboy]

Hi Monika,
Yesterday I went through my store potatoes as they are kept in a very cold barn and with the severe cold we have be having I checked to see is there are any those that are going bad. Pleased to say none were affected and there was no sign whatsoever of any chitting.
With the weather at it is I fear the risk of chitting now is far too great of frosting and would put off the moment you actually put them to chit for some time to come. Initially I would say at least wait another two weeks.
Like you we get very late frosts into maybe the second week in June and even the maincrop potatoes are actually second earlies and commercially they are planted out up to the second week in May and harvested in September. Because they are second earlies planted late they take less time to reach maturity. The variety is Nadine and they are a really good all purpose potato.
JB.

[Primrose]

Thanks for all your advice. I'll keep checking them carefully. Meanwhile, can anybody tell me what Pink Fir potatoes are like in terms of texture, and what they're best used for in culinary terms as they look rather knobbly and difficult to peel.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Primrose, Pink Fir Apple are a fairly firm waxy potato, they are a late main crop potato, but eat like a new, they also keep for a long time if not effected by blight.
Some people just use them cooked complete with their skins, but i prefer them peeled left whole and boiled.
They are a little awkard to prepare, but cook doesn't complain, but i think this is why they went out of fashion for a while.

I had some for Christmas dinner that Old Codger gave me, and very nice they were as well.

[John]

Hello Primrose
PFA are a superb firm waxy potato - a real treat when hot or cold with salad in the summer. They also fry very well. We just rub off the knobbly bits, give them a good scrub and cook them whole with their skins on.
I've always found them very, very slow to chit but anyway as they are a late maincrop there's not much point in chitting them.

John

[sally wright]

Dear April,
pfa take so long to chit and grow that I never bother and simply sling them in during the last week of February (location - Cambridge). The blight gets them by the second week of July here so it is the only feasable way of getting a crop. I find they need a minimum of 20 weeks from planting to mature harvest. A fortnight's delay in planting can mean the difference between a bucketful and a wheelbarrowful of tubers.

If you know the blight date for your area it is best to count back at least 20 weeks and plant them them. For your other potatoes I would also put them in early but the timing is not so critical. Cloche, earth up (cover the shoots with soil) or buy some fleece and cover them if you have to.

When digging over where last year's crop was there is often potatoes you have missed and they will be sprouting shoots and roots by now. So I feel that planting early will also allow for a better root system.
Regards Sally Wright.

[PLUMPUDDING]

Thanks for the reminder. I've been to check my seed potatoes in the hut and some of them have started sprouting. In fact the Shetland Black have grown through their net and have shoots and roots. I spent half an hour cutting the net off them and they are now planted in a very large (tree size) black tub. A few others have also started to sprout, but not so advanced thank goodness, so I've put them in egg boxes to chit and covered them with fleece for when the frost comes back.

I thought the cold weather would have kept them dormant, but it seems not. All the lates are still dormant, and it seems to be the earlies and one of the early main crop that are waking up.

[Bren]

My PFA's didn't chit last year, I asked on the forum and if my memory serves me right OH answered and said it wouldn't matter, I planted them and had the best crop ever , I use them in salads , potato salad and had some roasted today, a lovely potato.
Bren

[Tigger]

I think you should treat PFA as a main crop and plant it as early as possible with a protected start in a greenhouse or tunnel, unchitted. Then eat it as a salad potato - warm with home made mayonnaise, good chorizo, french dressing, tuna and onions or garlicky green beans. Roll on summer!

[Southern Softie]

On the subject of chitting, I have heard conflicting reports about WHERE you should chit them. Some say in an unheated greenhouse and some say in a shed like environment, as long as they are frost free.

I have put mine in the conservatory but I read yesterday they shouldn't have direct light. If that is so then a conservatory or greenhouse sounds like a bad option. Should I just cover them with some fleece or should I move them if direct sunlight is bad.

I am chitting 18 of each of the 7 varieties I bought so that's a lot of spuds to waste!

[Smurfy]

Woo hoo - my seed potato has just arrived this afternoon. Just need to get chitting now.

I don't know the technical answer southernsoftie but last year my potatoes were chitted in an unheated veranda which gets a lot of light and they did really well and i got a great harvest.

[bicci]

You've all been panicking me that I'm chitting too early,
so just checked in the brick shed (with frost heater).
All spuds look fine no shoots yet.
Can anyone tell me if Anya and Charlotte (salad) are treated like 1st earlies?
I looked up when my 1st earlies went in the ground last year..9th
March.I live in Surrey.

[Geoff]

I plant my first earlies first week in March under a cloche - usually Rocket but this year also Maris Bard in deference to the forum - and my second earlies and maincrop first week in April - Charlotte and Maris Piper.
Bought them all last Tuesday and they are on egg trays on the spare bedroom window ledge facing West.