New potatoes at Christmas???

[voodoo veg]

Have been reading about sowing potatoes so you get some New Potatoes for your Xmas Dinner.

Can I keep some of my Maincrop seed potatoes to plant later for this or do I need to buy different seed potatoes later??? I have Desiree which I have been staggering for continuous crop. Still have some left so if this is feasible I could keep some.

If I can use my Maincrops what is the best way to store them? Dark or light? Spread out or lumped together? Refrigerated or what?

Or should I just get all the Maincrop out and keep some of my First Earlies when they have grown???

[dragonz]

thanks for reminding me, you can order some from thompson and morgan that have been kept specially for late planting, but you have to order by the end of may, I best order mine soon

[pigletwillie]

Keep your sets in a refridgerator (make sure where you keep them doesnt freeze). At the begining of September bring them out and plant them into potato bags or whatever your choice of pot is and watch them grow away. When the threat of frost comes you will need to put them in a frost free greenhouse or similar.

Whilst in the fridge store them either in a paper bag or in a onion net or similar and never in a plastic bag.

[smallblueplanet]

Very interesting that piglet - but I've planted all me spuds now. So whats best to do? Hunt down some seed spuds, buy some (no doubt very expensive) ready done or try using supermarket spuds bought in Sept.?

[garrett]

Too late to plant?

Total Newbie to potatoes.

Could i plant some now, is it too late? Could someone point me to a thread that deals with container planting them?

Many thanks

Garrett

[sewer rat]

Garrett
If you get some seed tatties, plant them immediately - do not attempt to chit them, just bung them in and get them growing. Try the following thread - I think this is the one with the photographic guide in it - it's titled "tatties in tyres" or something along those lines.
My mate is planting six hundred acres of tatties just now for seed production and they have fifty acres left to do as of Saturday night so you should be okay.

[Ali]

I planted some a couple of weeks ago that I had forgotten about... they were on my window (hiding behind the curtain). They had gone a bit blackish - do you think they will do anything - Or have I killed them before they had a chance?

[ebba]

I planted some Red Duke of York two years ago at the normal time for earlies and kept some in the ground which we ate on Christmas day. Just digging over the bed a few weeks or so we harvested some more which were also delicious. Keeping in the ground here seems to work fine - although maybe other climates might be different.

[nick the grief]

Most tatties that are advertised as Christmas spuds are cold stored 2nd earlis I think. Maincrop would take too long to mature at theat time of year so you want something a bit rapid like Carlingford etc.

I usually try a coule of pots in the Greenhouse as thats kept Frost Free to have Chrismas Day & Boxing Day. My dad used to do it when I was little & I've tried to revive the tradition.