Chit-Chat

[Bigmallly]

Do all spud varieties produce chits?.........I've had my King Edwards sat out for weeks in a light frost free shed. Not a single chit, they are firm, no sign of rot. Anyway, I've taken the plunge & planted them. Fingers crossed. I know it's usually only earlies that you would consider chitting but thought I would ask anyway.

[Newton]

Love the title....didn't we agree it was too early for spuds yesterday? What has changed?

[Bigmallly]

I'm quietly confident my soil is ok as I layered it with newspapers & rotted chippings a few weeks back, feels like months actually. Anyway the bulb planter went straight through & the soil was in good fettle.

[veggiechicken]

These are your own saved spuds - yes? So not treated in anyway.
Every single potato that I have in my leftover cooking spud box is chitting - these are organic maincrop ones from veg box deliveries They're in brown paper bags - not in the light - 'cos I've only just thought about planting them in the last couple of minutes Your fault
Could your storage place (?shed) have been so cold that it acted like a fridge?

[Bigmallly]

Yes, they are saved from last years crop. I'm sure the shed will have got cold but the spuds were hard, no sign of any disease. I was wondering if it was due to them being maincrop that they would maybe chit later. Then again they go in at the same time as earlies...........

[Jamesy_uk]

Is there any sign of eyes at all or just no shoots?

[SarzWix]

I don't think VC was suggesting that the spuds were damaged from the cold, just that the temp might have been low enough to keep them dormant?

[Thelma Sanders]

My few maincrops have the biggest shoots of all here, so doesn't make any difference whether they be early 2nds or lates....................more the temperature they've been stored in before you get them, as well as your chitting.

[veggiechicken]

I don't think VC was suggesting that the spuds were damaged from the cold, just that the temp might have been low enough to keep them dormant?

I couldn't have put it better myself, Sarz

[Aberdeenplotter]

^^^ my thoughts as well.

[Bigmallly]

Is there any sign of eyes at all or just no shoots?

Yes, they all had eyes, just no sprouts.

I couldn't have put it better myself, Sarz

I don't think VC was suggesting that the spuds were damaged from the cold, just that the temp might have been low enough to keep them dormant?

^^^ my thoughts as well.

Ok Ta, I myself thought they may be too cold in the shed so I moved them to the greenhouse under a cloche tunnel for about a week but thought it may be too warm for them, maybe a week wasn't long enough. Anyway time will tell, thanks for your replies.

[PyreneesPlot]

My pfa have been in egg boxes in a sunny window for two weeks. Lots of eyes but no shoots. Too wet & cold to plant out here anyway, unless I want instant potato/clay soup.

I'm tempted to move them into the kitchen cupboard where the spuds for eating are shooting away.

[Bigmallly]

I'm hoping that now they are in the dark it may give them a kick start.

[buzzingtalk]

I started chitting some of my spuds about 3 weeks ago and they have good growth on them...when is good to plant them out though? I have some first and second earlies...it has no info about when to plant them on the packet though?