Kitchen Garden Forum

Dad has all his Potatoes stood up in trays chitting..all progressing well..except for the Swift..just the one he asks his garden staff to put in first.
Only one has produced a decent chit..the rest are just visible but not moving forward at all despite being in the warm living room. The tubers look clean, hard and sound..but just not getting on with chitting....

Swift produce only small top so perhaps a little less vigour to chit.?..Or is something amiss.?

Dad is keen to know....
I am about to set off to try to buy him an alternative variety..

Clive.

Morning Clive, i was just wondering how long they have been chitting?

None of my potatatoes are really showing any sign of sprouting yet, but they are only in a frost free greenhouse.

Maybe you could P.M Tattieman, or put the question on his topic!

Hello Old H',

They have been trayed up since our trip to purchase them in Boston that appears in a previous thread...just had a look...20th Jan...

Historically they go in trays under the sideboard in the hallway...but the ones being readied for use in pots go in the living room..ie; much lighter and decidedly warmer... this computer is in the hallway.

Meanwhile, Mum reckons she recalls the same effect last year..?..

Clive.

I've grown Swift as the first poatato to go in for everal seasons now, but i just can't remember if they have good shoots on them or not.

So, Mum's the word then.

I have two sheds full of Rocket potatoes and not one has shown any inclination to sprout, I think the weather has been too cold.

Barney

Anyway, we've had a ride out..taking in some roadside Snowdrop viewing. ....and some disgusting attempts at flailing roadside scrub enchroachment.

...and bought Dad a bag of Estima....his thinking that in fact he had plenty stock of early earlies but not so flushed with the next in line...

Certainly the cold weather may have held some back but Dads are by his living room chair on top of the 'lectric fire surround in the full sunshine that is streaming through the window today.
...perhaps it's watched pot never boils...and he needs to hide them out of sight for a few days. in fact that may be the missing link...as those that are in the semi dark under the hallway sideboard get started with white/yellow chits and harden to green once brought into the light...but not allowing them to get too far advanced before bringing out into the light

Clive.

Swift produce a small foliage but I started to chit mine about 2 weeks ago and they have chits about 5mm long on them. As long as there is the sign of a chit then you should be ok.
Mine are in a small room with a good source of sunlight and the temperature is above 10 degrees celsius just because I was late at starting to chit.

Hello Tattieman,

Thank you for coming up on thread. .

The one Swift of Dads that has chitted has a good stocky chit about 1/4" long... grown imperially . The rest are only just showing but have sat like that in suspended animation for, he thinks, too long relative to the one that has acted, as he sees it, normally...all have been in the same location....suspect it is a bit above 10 degrees by Dad's living room chair.

Clive.

Another week on..to update...The Swift have still sat idle... Only one out of 30 has a 1/4" normal chit...the rest have a minute chit only just visible but still no movement forward.
The tubers still seem to remain hard and sound...except 2 that have started to wizen slightly.

Out and about today in search of lawn edger spares...we afterwards called into Ruskington Garden Centre...good selection of T&M Potatoes in stock. Looking at the bags of Swift that they had there all had nice stubby even chits...yellowy due to being in the sales boxes but they would harden nicely to green once trayed up...

So really I still feel that something is amiss with Dads Swift..??

Clive.

Evening Clive, i had a look at my Swift today and they are just starting to chit nicely, so i think i will get them in tomorrow.
Very strange about your ones, i can't realy think of an answer.

...We called at Belton garden centre on the way home from Easton Walled Gardens on Sunday and purchased a fresh bag of Swift that had already got even stubby chits... These have been in a tray in the greenhouse for only a couple of days now and the chits are greened up and look all ok..indeed a few have today gone into pots in the greenhouse here. ..

We have retained the originals, still in the house, just out curiosity to see if any movement eventually occurs.

Clive.

A Swift update..

The original purchase of Swift have not moved any further forward..still no chits developing normally. They can still just be seen on most but have not moved. The tubers have started to shrivel slightly and soften..not that that would be unusual at this stage...but still no chits...except on the one that seemed to behave as we would have normally expected.

The replacements we purchased continued to chit quite normally, greening and strengthening once in the greenhouse...and 21 of these have just been planted in 2 rows on the South facing border in front of our N. fence....in our time honoured method...

Shallow trench with soil forked forward...light application of Growmore....Potatoes at 10" along the row (as they are light foliaged earlies)..and 2ft between rows. Light application of our very well rotted very friable compost on top and the well worked soil pulled back on top to produce a very slight raise along the row...which will be pulled up more fully to a ridge as they grow on...

Lawn to mow now. ..

Clive.

Clive, i have got a few Charlotte that are now doing this, no shoots and starting to shrivel.

And i'm leaving my mower in the shed for tonight.

Hello Clive
I have my pots set out trays in our porch. This is not really to chit them but simply to keep them in as much light as possible until I can plant them out. They were very slowly producing chits which is what I wanted but for a few days when it got much warmer I put them outside for the afternoon. To cut a long story short they got soaked in a heavy shower while we were out and a few days later have started throwing out some serious shoots.
Perhaps this is the way to speed up the chitting business - give the tubers a good soaking!!

John

Hello John,

The replacement Swift that chitted quite normally are now up in the pots in the greenhouse...

The originals, still kept out of curiosity, have been kept in the tray in the house and have still not made any effort to chit...except one.

6 of them have now just had a good washing in the sink...it will be interesting to see if this starts them into action......

Clive.