Seed Potatoes

[Two_Sheds]

I'm keeping my self-saved seed potatoes in the fridge for now. I don't want any sprouting before Jan/Feb.

[Snadger]

I'm keeping my self-saved seed potatoes in the fridge for now. I don't want any sprouting before Jan/Feb.

Ahhh, but is temperature control the main thing that stops them chitting?

[MissGreen]

I would love to get a few of the fancy coloured varieties that you can get in the uk. In Denmark we have a blue potato called blue congo, which could be cool to try for a bit of variation I know seed potatoes can be expensive, but if I was in the UK I would go crazy and try every kind I think

But the thing to do, is to find out what kind of potato you want, and then find one that will suit your needs. You can always see what your local suppliers have and then google it or look for it here before you make your decision. That if, if there is more than one kind to choose from
Uh can't wait for spring and fresh new potatoes

[simonytfc]

I should think that they will prooduce white shoots in the fridge, which arent as good as green shoots?

[silverfork]

Wow, simonytfc.... I'm feeling inadequate in the rude veg stakes.
No word of a lie, my mum has a book called 'Unusual vegetables' by j. Organ!

[Birdie Wife]

I think the cold does indeed stop them sprouting - think about what happens in the wild. They go through a dormant phase as tubers in the ground throught the winter, then when the spring starts to warm the ground they start sprouting. I'm sure I heard advice that to keep your own seed potatoes, you had to keep them somewhere cold and dry to stop premature sprouting. A cold out-building is ideal but a fridge should be fine as long as it's dry anough to stop mould forming.

[Snadger]

I have my own saved spuds in my cold greenhouse. Admittedly I have now put newspaper over the trays to insulate them a bit. Prior to that though there was ice in the greenhouse and the spuds don't seem to have been affected. Foliage and chits of seed spuds are very prone to frost/cold damage, but I believe the un-chitted potatoes can survive a touch of severe cold or frost without damage. It's only when you raise the temp and the spuds start chitting that freezing temperatures can be a problem!

[marchogaeth]

Resurrecting this thread, especially as some of the OP's (not OAP's) are around. I have grown a really good crop of Sarpo Axona, main crop. They are so much better than Mira and much more like typical floweryish, potatoes and, of course blight free. Rather than having to buy from T&M every year (the only place that stocks them) I would like to save some seed. I am about 600' up here, so not the magical 800' they aim for in Scotland but higher than where Sarpo are produced in North Wales.

I found this on the web on what seemed a sensible site (sorry lost link):-

Want to save your own seed potatoes to plant again next year? Here's what to do. When you harvest the crop, choose a few firm healthy ones which are about the size of a bantam's egg. (If that doesn't mean anything to you, think something a bit smaller than a hen's egg.) Size isn't really that important though ... the main thing is to select the ones that look as undamaged as possible. A few scabs aren't anything to worry about, but avoid any that are cut or nibbled by critters. Either leave them to dry and then brush the soil off, or wash them carefully, taking care not to harm the tiny sprout-buds in the eyes (they are fairly robust unless subjected to overzealous scrubbing). Allow them to dry and then put them in a bright place for several days to 'green' them up a little. A window sill or a dry place outdoors will do nicely. This process helps to trigger dormancy, so the spuds have a better chance of getting through the winter without premature sprouting. Then store them in a dark, dry, airy place till next year. What I usually do is put them in eggboxes, or arrange them upright in a cardboard box with some kind of packing material to separate them, such as shredded paper, hay or sawdust.

The bottom line is, potatoes are survivors. They will grow on compost heaps, at the bottoms of sacks, in wetness, in drought, in darkness and just about anywhere else. They can take root from peelings and cut tubers. I've had decent crops from even the most pathetic looking specimens.

I've read in various places that you shouldn't save your own seed potato tubers from year to year because they are likely to build up viruses and get worse and worse over time until the crop fails ... therefore you should buy new certified virus-free stock each year. There may be some wisdom in that, but personally I've been planting home-saved tubers for years and have never had any problems. If anything the plants do better because they're adapted to my garden.

What is anyone's experience of home saved potato seed, please? I am especially interested if anyone has done it for several years running. Does the above as regards greening and cooling seem correct? Diolch.

[marchogaeth]

Bumping .