How do you chit potatoes?

[Potstubsdustbins]

I like to chit my spuds if for no other reason than it lets me know if there are any unviable seeds. I dont have room to be planting seeds that arn't going to grow.

potty

[Alison]

I like to chit my spuds if for no other reason than it lets me know if there are any unviable seeds. I dont have room to be planting seeds that arn't going to grow.

potty

Do you ever get any unviable ones? If they're nice and firm when I buy them they always sprout OK and it's only any dried up ones that are rubbish and you can tell that by looking at them.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Only one this year. But that would be one bucket full of compost plus the room it takes up all to no avail. And I am not clever enough to tell just by looking, over the years I have had good looking seed go bad and the most awful looking seed produce spruts.

Potty

[Likac66]

So cool and light? I'm thinking I could chit them in the greenhouse then?

[cptncrackoff]

Beware the frost!

[Potstubsdustbins]

Likac,

I would be careful at this time of year if your using and unheated GH a good frost could well ruin them.


Potty

[Potstubsdustbins]

Beware the frost!

Snap great minds and all that.

Potty

[cptncrackoff]

I went for a quick answer to get in first!
There is another thread going about this but I moved mine in to the conservatory a few nights ago, real cold nights were forecast, and I beleive, although I stand to be corrected that if they get frosted they may damaged, and or/die!?
I checked my LIDL max min thermo, min overnight INSIDE my greenhouse -1.0

[Alison]

So cool and light? I'm thinking I could chit them in the greenhouse then?

Cool but not cold

[Likac66]

Aah, but my greenhouse is heated lightly. Even in this very cold weather it has stayed at about 8 deg.

I bought 2 x 2kg of seed potatoes today and haven't got room for them all on windowsills.

[buzzingtalk]

I might chit some if I can grab some from the garden center down the road then - in fact, I'll chit half a bag and pop the other half in the fridge, and plant them out together and see which one has better growth/yield if any. How long does chitting take??

[dogsbody]

Mine are out to chit today - in seed trays in the dining room, not the brightest place in the house but has always worked before. This year it is charlotte, king edward and pink fir apple and all to be grown in pots (I'm too auld and grumpy to dig them in and out).

[buzzingtalk]

How long do you need to chit for? If I leave my first earlies out in my kitchen this week how long will it take...what happens if they are ready to soon? and when should i plant them - I live in norfolk. There is so much info on spuds online, its a minefield!! also do you chit all potatos at the same time (maincrop etc)? so they all get planted at the same time - mid march by what i've read?

Sorry for bombarding you all with spud questions, its my first time growing them

[Linzy]

I sorted mine this weekend. We always lay them out in trays in the greenhouse and hopefully in bout three weeks they will have some good tufty sprout and then we plant them out. I always plant mine in mid march ad never have any prob with frost, but i do live next to the sea. But my dad is inland and he plants his the same as me and just keeps earthing them up so there isnt much growth above ground to aviod excessive frost damage

[buzzingtalk]

cool - do you plant all sorts of spuds at the same time? (earlies, mids, maincrop etc)?