Chitting and planting potatoes

[toastie]

Plan to plant my first earliest tomorrow. Anya and my maincrop potatoes (Vivaldi) will be planted in next few weeks as still chitting. Of all the ones we grew last year Vivaldi came up the best. Only yesterday finished using the last of our potatoes that we grew last year - which have been kept in the allotment shed in a hessian sack since they were dug up last year - the main thing is to check them regularly and throw away any that have gone soft/mouldy etc.

[tattieman]

Hi guys. Plant all of your potatoes at the same time and they will naturally mature at different times.

[gojiberry]

If I can work it so that there is at least 30 hours in tomorrow then I will be planting all my potatoes tomorrow. If not then some time during the next week. Main priority is to get the carrots sown and the pre chitted parsnips in.

Ian

[coreopsis]

Also the desirees weren't red and I would have thought the seed potatoes would have been red.

My Desirees aren't red either-they are just dirty

[Jardiniere]

what an incredibly useful thread - now this is what i come here for....as well as the chat and the jokes and the photos .......................

[Iamhanuman]

what an incredibly useful thread - now this is what i come here for....as well as the chat and the jokes and the photos .......................

it's great isn't it???

my Edzell Blues say not to put them out until April, but I am following Tattieman's advice and they are all going together.

Anya and my maincrop potatoes (Vivaldi) will be planted in next few weeks as still chitting.

maincrops don't need chitting do they?

[zazen999]

No, mains don't need chitting.

[Iamhanuman]

just bought some potato fertilizer from B&Q and it said it requires 1 to 2 weeks from being mixed with the compost before it can be used!!!
i want to get my tatties in!!!!!!
should i just stick them in the compost (without fertilizer) and then earth up with fertilizer-ridden compost?

[Eyren]

The only reason I chitted my maincrops is that the two Mayan Gold seed potatoes already had a couple of big pale sprouts, so I thought that putting them in the light would prevent any further such growth (which it did) - and then it seemed daft not to put the two Roosters out with all the rest. They all went in yesterday, in potato planters by the patio door so we can hoick them indoors if a frost is forecast

Iamhanuman - it's only one week, so unless there's a pressing reason why you can't plant them next weekend, why not mix the compost now and wait until then? You're going to have to learn a bit of patience if you want to be a good gardener

[janeyo]

Thanks guys, as it's such a nice day I might put the rest of the maincrop in too

Thanks Alice, good to know the salad ones will be ready at different times too.

[jacob marley]

just bought some potato fertilizer from B&Q and it said it requires 1 to 2 weeks from being mixed with the compost before it can be used!!!
i want to get my tatties in!!!!!!
should i just stick them in the compost (without fertilizer) and then earth up with fertilizer-ridden compost?

The spud's will not take up the fertilizer straight away so plant your spud's and mix some fertilizer and when the spud is ready to feed it will be there for it nothing to worry about ....jacob

[Emmylou]

Do Anya and Pink Fir Apple need chitting??

[zazen999]

Do Anya and Pink Fir Apple need chitting??

No, mains do not need chitting.

[Emmylou]

Evening all!! Just a few queries on potatoes!
Seem like lots of people have been planting spuds this weekend! I have some Pentland Javelins sat in egg boxes in a cool spare room...not alot of chitting going on. Also some Swift which arrived last week and have already overtaken on the chitting!
I was given some Anya and Pink Fir Apple seed pots today.
Should I try chitting these? or get them all in soon
From reading bits on the forum, they can all go in at the same time, but are ready to dig at different times?
Should I plant the spuds I'm trying to chit, or wait till the chits are longer?
Sorry for the garble, but I find it a bit confusing?

My mum tried growing spuds in "spud bags" last year. Didn't get very many. She heard on a gardening program on the radio that they should be planted in soil and not general compost as she had done. I think it is more to do with the fact they were in the shade. Any opinions? I think she should try again with compost but put the bags in a different location.

[zazen999]

Evening all!! Just a few queries on potatoes!
Seem like lots of people have been planting spuds this weekend! I have some Pentland Javelins sat in egg boxes in a cool spare room...not alot of chitting going on. Also some Swift which arrived last week and have already overtaken on the chitting!
I was given some Anya and Pink Fir Apple seed pots today.
Should I try chitting these? or get them all in soon
From reading bits on the forum, they can all go in at the same time, but are ready to dig at different times?
Should I plant the spuds I'm trying to chit, or wait till the chits are longer?
Sorry for the garble, but I find it a bit confusing?

It's confusing because you're thinking too hard.

Just put them in the ground.

You only chit earlies to get them off to a flying start.

Earlies mature quicker than mains. So they are ready earlier.