Green potatoes

[Super Sprout]

This will be my first growing year as a novice allotmenteer having taken on a plot for the very first time in October.

I have purchased & been chatting two types of potatoes: Charlotte & Sarpo Mira.

The Charlottes have really thick chits but the potato body is quite squishy and the tops look to have gone green. Watching Monty Don planting potatoes on gardeners world this weekend he said if the potatoes go green they are poisonous. Should I therefore assign these to the bin?

The Sarpos seem to be coming along nicely.

For future reference are Charlotte's early, middle, or late potatoes.

Many thanks,
Paul

[Twynyrodyn]

I don't know the answer to your questions but I like your 'super' confident name. That's the way to go! I planted early red Duke of York about a month ago and Sapo Mira last week. No sign of anything yet.

[Snoop Puss]

Essentially, the potatoes you eat grow off the seed potato. No problems if the seed potato goes green but make sure you keep your plants earthed up to stop the ones you'll be eating from going green.

Seed potatoes often go a bit wrinkly and soft. What do you mean by "quite squishy"?

Charlottes are second earlies. I've seen websites that suggest at least 15 weeks, others that say three months. Not very different. Delicious potato, either way.

[Super Sprout]

Thank you for responding.

By squishy I mean quite soft & wrinkly but not rotten.

I phrased my question incorrectly 're earlies late's etc. What I meant to ask is should the Charlotte's already be planted, and Sarpos wait a week or two more for larger chits?

Thanks again,
Paul

[Snoop Puss]

Sounds like your Charlottes are just right, then.

You don't give your location in your profile. That always makes it easier to advise on planting dates, etc. When is your last frost?

[Martin H]

In seed potatoes, green is fine, wrinkly is fine too as long as the chits are still firm.

Plant the potatoes when the ground conditions are right, whether or not the chits have developed.

Think of chitting as just a way of keeping the potatoes in decent condition until the ground is ready for them. Remember, potato farmers don't chit their potatoes at all!

I'm not sure where in the country you are, but down here everyone is planting all their potatoes now if they haven't already. Just keep an eye on the weather forecast once there's green shoots showing above ground - you'll need to protect the shoots from late frosts. If the chits are small they'll be a bit slower to show so you've less to worry about.

Enjoy!

[Jay-ell]

If you harvest green potatoes they aren't edible - this happens when the sun gets to them and they start producing solanene.


Solanene is poisonous so the green spuds can't be eaten, but they can be kept separately and used next year to chit and grow new spuds with.

[Super Sprout]

Thanks again for the replies.

I'm down south in Chesham, Buckinghamshire.

I've heard various advice saying plant on St Patrick's Day, plant at Easter, etc.

I've been preparing ground for some weeks now, and added some well rotted cow manure two weeks ago. Was trying to hold out planting until Easter but thought the Charlotte's needed to go in now due to their condition.

We had an air &ground frost on Monday (had to scrape frost off the car before work) but it was 10C today!

[Jay-ell]

I don't go with all these plant on a specific day theologies. I think that they are useful guidelines about when to start, but are only that. Circumstances will vary from year to year, locations, garden micro climate etc - I've already put some of my spuds out In Newcastle.

Your a bit further south so it should be warmer there at the moment, however if your plot is at the top of a windy hill or in the bottom of a frost pocket these will change the local circumstances and therefore growing conditions.

Of course I know nothing so it may pay off, or I may get a touch of frost. You can cover the plants with straw which will insulate them against the frost or earth them up when the tips have grown enough. This also helps protect the spuds from the sun to stop them turning green.

Mine are in bags and I'll top up when they've grown until eventually the bag is full.

[Snoop Puss]

I'd agree with Jay-ell, being down south, you should be able to plant them out now. As they go a fair depth down, you should be out of the risk of frost by the time they pop up.

It sounds like your Charlottes are perfect for planting now and you could do the Sarpos at the same time, if you wanted.

If you keep an eye on the weather conditions and see there's a chance of frost once they're showing, cover them with straw or fleece to protect them. Other people on your site will be able to give you local advice too.

Good luck. Home grown potatoes are a thing of joy!

[veggiechicken]

To add to the green potato thingy - I was told that a green seed potato is less attractive to slugs because of the poison under the skin.
You could be on to a winner, Paul

[The poly tunnel poet]

Plant all your seed spuds at same time, the early second early and late is when you lift them, because of growing time, a salad spud or early like Charlotte on;ly needs be like a new spud for dinner on summer days, I read somewhere, if you get the pan of water hot and ready, then dig up the amount you want and wash and in skins boil within 30 mins of lifting, they are slightly sweeter, because the sugars have not turned to starch as they do once the are lifted. Also, dig up only what you need and then replace the soil around the plant so the remaining spuds will continue to grow.

The green only matters on spuds you wish to eat, and if you find green spuds, cover them back over and they will turn white, the green is a problem because like tomato they are related to deadly nightshade and that's poisonous as are the haulms (stalks and leaves) on spuds

The squashy seed spud is because the energy is being used from the spud to make the buds ready to become plant and spuds.

I recommend you dig a hole drop in a spud and enjoy this first year of gardening embracing all you achieve.....

[1Bee]

Just FYI, I did some reading and found that in Cumbria where I am, the last frost date is mid-May and the suggested potato planting time is mid-April. My charlottes are in now, my main crop will go in in a few weeks, as the ground still needs work.

Good luck