Another amateur question....

[clifftop]

This business of "chitting" potatoes...

Am I correct in thinking that the "sprouting" bits are the shoots, not the roots and therefore they should face upwards??

I have looked at a good many threads and watched tattiemans vids, but just wanted to make sure I got this (quite) important bit correct.

[Liza]

Correct! Better to ask than get it wrong

The guys on here are great, no question is too silly I should know !

You are in the best place, ask away .....

[clifftop]

Thanks Liza, as you say this is indeed a marvellous place to ask questions...

I am planning on growing spuds in large pots, I already have my seed potatoes, just waiting for a couple of weeks to pass to plant them in mid March.

[Liza]

I am trying out some rubble sacks this year from mr J S****burys as lottie spuds did not much last year.

Will be planting on good friday like my grandad used to

[COMPOST CORNER]

I am trying out some rubble sacks this year from mr J S****burys as lottie spuds did not much last year.

Will be planting on good friday like my grandad used to

Not doubting your Grandad, but isn't good Friday a bit of a movable feast to use as a planting guide?

I was always told to plant potatoes on St Patricks's day.

[Nicos]

One way to tell about which is the right way up ( some of my spuds only have 4 eyes and they're all over the spud- not clustered at the 'top' )....

If you look carefully at the eye you'll see it looks like an upside down eye..ie the eyebrow is underneath the eye...so it looks a bit like a smile.

The shoots and the roots both grow from the eye- you can see both on these piccies- these should have been planted out before the roots were showing as they will dry up

[Jimmy]

Well it's probably good to get them the right way up.

But which ever way you plant them the tatties will sort it out for you!

Jimmy

[piskieinboots]

*bows to Garden Guru Nicos

Excellent

[Nicos]

*bows to Garden Guru Nicos

Excellent

Not bad eh for 3.40 am!!!

( you can thank Mr Snorey for that!!)


...and yes jimmy- the farmers just chuck them in any way up ...and...unchitted!!

I only put mine out to chit because I buy them early so I can get the types I want in case they're sold out ( has happened a few times) and so they're sitting around in a netting bag chitting themselves -only to get tangled up when I'm trying to take them out ( such a fiddle!)
I also like to have a loving look at them each day...as you do!!

[Flummery]

Not doubting your Grandad, but isn't good Friday a bit of a movable feast to use as a planting guide?

I was always told to plant potatoes on St Patricks's day.

Good Friday IS movable. It moves with the phase of the moon. Lots of people will tell you why you should plant with the moon. I think Good Friday tattie planting is the first know example of lunar planting.

[Rossa]

Great photos Nicos. Now I know what to look for. Haven't chitted before just plonked them in the ground. Seems like some do, some don't.

Got a potato day locally on Saturday so going to see what I can find. I'm using bags this year like in Tattie Man's video. Also trying moon planting this year and square foot gardening in the small space I have that are actually beds rather than pots/bags.

Good Friday's 2 April this year, isn't it? Might be a bit too early here in the colder North. We're usually 2-3 weeks behind you guys down South. When's St Patrick's Day?

Started a new blog to record my efforts this year which is also new to me. Been playing around with layouts etc. Got a great photo of a Moonbow. Not seen one of those before.

http://ewandf.blogspot.com/

[HeyWayne]

Good Friday IS movable. It moves with the phase of the moon. Lots of people will tell you why you should plant with the moon. I think Good Friday tattie planting is the first know example of lunar planting.

If you are planning to plant by the moon, take a torch.

[piskieinboots]

If you are planning to plant by the moon, take a torch.

Preferrably a head-torch as you will need both hands for sowing/planting

[Flummery]

Har har! St Pat's day is March 17th. I think you'll get away with mid March in the north. I always have. Main thnbg is to keep earthing up as the foliage breaks through. Otherwise it will be caught by the frosts.

[HeyWayne]

Preferrably a head-torch as you will need both hands for sowing/planting

Indeed, deputy torches just don't cut it.