Seed Potatoes - How?

[catkeeble]

How do you harvest your own seed potatoes?? They can be expensive to buy...and when I've used my own old shop bought potatoes in the past they just havent produced many decent spuds.

Could someoen let me know how to do this so I can sort my own out for next year please?

Thanks!!

[Bigmallly]

I'm afraid i can't answer your question but my best yeild has come from some Asda King Edwards that started sprouting. My seeds have been poor.

[Snadger]

Store the potatoes you want to keep in an outdoor 'clamp' for next year.

[donnakebab]

A fellow plotter advised me to do this but he didn't say how. He did say that the potatoes that have grown in your plot will be used to conditions, soil type etc. so to save some every year. From what I understand you should choose the best ones (as in disease and blemish free) that are about the size of an egg. I haven't worked out the best way to store them yet so I will ask him when I see him again. Excavating a clamp may well be the best way but can you add to it as you crop other varieties? Sounds like hard work too and it's been raining here for about 4 hours solid!

[Two_Sheds]

Store the potatoes you want to keep in an outdoor 'clamp' for next year.

Like that, except I use the salad drawer of my fridge instead of a clamp

[salilah]

Like that, except I use the salad drawer of my fridge instead of a clamp

Aha! That sounds useful!
Do you put them in paper bags or just into the drawer?
I guess they will be mostly in the dark (!) and cool
When do you get them out?
Thanks for the suggestion - we have a less-used fridge so I might try that this year (sorry, JBA / Tattyman, but I'm sure I'll buy some to try new varieties!)

S

[zazen999]

My lottie neighbour who lives on a boat saves his in a cardboard box in the shed....just a few layers of newspaper and they are fine.

[Davyburns]

My lottie neighbour who lives on a boat saves his in a cardboard box in the shed....just a few layers of newspaper and they are fine.

I have mice in my shed through the winter, and they seem to love paper

[Flummery]

I use the salad drawer too. I use poly bags but you have to be very careful that the potaotes are dry and have no blemishes. Once or twice during the storage time I take them out and put them in a new bag, in case they sweat a bit and start to mould.

I'm particularly keen that they should get through winter because they are my own varieties grown from true seed (the little tomato-like fruits that sometimes follow the flowers) so if they go off I can't just go and buy more! I get them out about Feb and let them chit as usual.

[Rossa]

I picked up a tip from a Monty Don article for Christmas potatoes. He said just save some first earlies and replant this month to get potatoes for November/December. He said you don't need to chit them just plant them out. I'm doing mine in bags, keeping them outside until the frosts and then in the greenhouse. Not done this before so no idea what we'll get from them.

So I guess keeping your seed potatoes somewhere cold and dark will just delay them enough to last through to next year. Might try a few in the garage for next year as well.