Chitting and planting potatoes

[selfraising]

My International Kidney hadn't chitted yet either but I've just stuck them in the ground now (bit early I know). My Anya also show no signs of chitting.

[Alice]

Jan, the terms 1st earlies, 2nd earlies and maincrop refer to the times the potatoes take to be ready and not when you need to plant them.
Roughly the times are
1st earlies - about 10 weeks
2nd earlies - about 13 weeks
maincrops - about 22 weeks.
People vary the planting times so as not to have all the potatoes ready at the same time.
The other thing you have to remember is that potatoes are not frost hardy and if they are planted too early (or late) the tops will get cut down with frost and the crop is liable to be ruined.
If you want to try for an early crop you could plant some Charlotte (they're 2nd earlies) if you're prepared to protect them from frost. I would hang on to the maincrop until your nearer to frost free. There's no rush for them.
Hope this helps.

[stitching witch]

Advice needed for Charlottes

Hello all

I have two varieties of potatoes to plant - Vivaldi and Charlotte. The Vivaldis are second earlies and the Charlottes are salad potaoes.

I have found information on planting the second earlies, but can find no advice about when to plant the salad potatoes. Does anyone know if Charlottes are treated as first earlies, second earlies or (very unlikely) maincrop potatoes?

This is my first year and I'd really like to get it right!

Many thanks

[SarzWix]

"Salad potatoes" is just a term for any potato which is nice in salads, they still individually come under 1st Early/2nd Early/Early Maincrop/Late Maincrop.

Charlottes are 2nd Earlies though

[Alice]

Your Charlottes are 2nd earlies Stitch Witch. That means the crop will be ready about 13 weeks after planting.
You can plant them anytime you like as long as you can keep them frost free - both at the beginning and the end.
They do very well in containers - I grow them in buckets. Because they only take 13 weeks by starting them early I get 2 crops from each bucket. See some here.

[gojiberry]

With a bit of luck my charlottes in containers will be ready mid to end of April as they were planted at Xmas. Because of low light levels I like to give them a couple of extra weeks. I also have 3 tubs of swift but they didn't go in till 3rd week in Jan.

Ian

[Iamhanuman]

i am itching to get mine out in the rubble sacks now
is it still too cold??!?!?

[mendacious dog]

Oops

Hi Guys

Well, being a complete newbie to the art of spud growing I seem to have followed some of the advice on the vine correctly in that I chitted my first earlies in a cool, light place and got the short, dark chits that are recommended. As of last weekend these are now all in various containers in my slightly heated outhouse and seem to be doing OK to my novice eye.

Unfortunately, I stored my second earlies and mains in a cool dark place (hoping to keep them dormant) and when I retrieved them last night they all had MASSIVE spindly, pale sprouts on them! I’m not kidding, I measured one at 11 inches! Kind of freaky looking as well. So now I have to return to the advice of the kind peeps on the forum – are these tatties now b*ggered or can I snap off the spindly shoots and start to chit them again from scratch? The seed potatoes themselves are still a fairly decent size, albeit a bit wrinkly now…

Thanks for any advice you can offer!

Woof

[tattieman]

Hi Guys
Unfortunately, I stored my second earlies and mains in a cool dark place (hoping to keep them dormant) and when I retrieved them last night they all had MASSIVE spindly, pale sprouts on them! I’m not kidding, I measured one at 11 inches! Kind of freaky looking as well. So now I have to return to the advice of the kind peeps on the forum – are these tatties now b*ggered or can I snap off the spindly shoots and start to chit them again from scratch? The seed potatoes themselves are still a fairly decent size, albeit a bit wrinkly now…

Thanks for any advice you can offer!

Woof

It will be fine just to snap them of and start again

[mendacious dog]

Phew! Thats a relief.

Thanks for the quick answer tattieman. Now to try to disentangle all the shoots and restore my seed potatoes to some semblence of normalcy...

Woof

[Jimmy]

spuds in Lancashire , when ?

Normally I grow Charlottes and put them in the ground during the easter bank holiday in April. I chit them first.
A few weeks ago I saw 3Kg of Rocket in Wilkinsons for £3 so I got them and set them up to chit.
They are now sprouting nicely and look like they can't wait till Easter !
So is it too early to put them in the ground given I am in Lancashire.

Thanks
Jimmy

[Jenegade]

I'm not sure, I'm further north than you, but was going to put some of my potatoes in the ground this weekend, with a covering of fleece over the top and possibly a homemade bottle cloche over the top of their position too. Just in case.

[eddiebirmingham]

potatoes?

is it ok to plant sainsbury's white potatoes?

they have been in cupboard for a while and have seeded,
can't really afford seed potatoes from garden centre.

first time i've grown my own
am i waisting my time with shop bought tatties

[snuffer]

Hi eddiebirmingham and welcome to the vine. Your shop bought potatoes will grow if you plant them. However, you have no gaurantee that they will be desease free. There is a chance that you'll be planting yourself a whole load of problems.

Seed potatoes can be expensive, especially if bought from garden centres. Shop around, I buy mine from a local hardware shop and they are considerably cheaper than those I have seen in the garden centres.

It really is worth spending that little bit extra for good, desease free seed.

[eddiebirmingham]

thanks,
i'm going shopping then.

what time of year is ok

is it too soon now for tubs on my patio?