Storing Seed Potatoes...?

[Kea]

Hello everyone, i'm new to this site and would be grateful for any advice as i only started growing veg last year. I recently ordered a starter pack of 3x10 seed potatoes and 3 tubs to grow them in. The seeds are: Vanessa(sent in place of the sold out Red Duke), Maris Peer and Charlotte. I have placed the Vanessa seeds in egg boxes to sprout as suggested, and will then plant 3 in each tub. The problem is, i don't know how to store the other seeds in the meantime. I assume, since the kit contained 3 tubs that i can only grow that many at any one time, so what am i supposed to do with the others, whilst the Vanessa is growing? The instructions made no mention of this and i don't want to waste them.

[smallblueplanet]

Hi Kea, I'm not sure how long you should keep the seed potatoes unplanted (although for various reasons we didn't get ours in the ground until mid-May last year).

Here is a thread that has info about growing spuds in various types of container/bag, perhaps it will give you some ideas? I'm sure some other clever Grape will reply as well with more info.

potatoes in bags

[sewer rat]

Kea
Welcome to the 'Vine - hope you enjoy your visits.
Your potatoes are either 1st early Vanessa & Maris Peer) or 2nd early (Charlotte) varieties, therfore I would chit them all just now ready for planting out when the weather improves. If you can plant 9 tubers in your three potato bins, you need to find other containers to plant another 20 odd tubers in. There are, as sbp quite rightly says, a number of threads on planting and growing potatoes in various containers, from buckets to pots and bags. If you enter "potatoes" in the search forums box, take a look. There is a photographic step by step guide in one of the threads on growing tatties in containers - I think the thread is actually titled tatties in tyre, but you'll find it. Good Luck

[Kea]

Dear manda and Rat, thanks for your advice as i was beginning to panic about storage! I think i'll chit all the spuds as suggested and have a look for more info for next year - or buy less seeds! We live and learn........ :-) BTW if i chit them all now, and the Charlotte are second earlies, which i interpret as meaning later in the season, shouldn't they be planted later?

Kea

[nick the grief]

Hi Kea & welcome.
Go to your nearest Pound shop & get 6 big tubs Kea, then get some compost (if you shop around you can get the 3 for a tenner offers at a lot of places. Then you can grow all of them together.

If you get the tubs in 2 colours (brown & green) you could plant 3 of each in the tubs you've got then 3 of each in the brown ones a couple of weeks later then do the same with the green tubs & stagger the cropping a bit - just a thought.

[Kea]

Thanks Nick - what a great idea re the coloured tubs (now why didn't i think of that?!! Lol) Ok, so plan of action is to chit them all and do as suggested with tubs. So i'm going to grow them in 3 lots with a couple of weeks in between each lot........but if i chit them all at the same time, how to do i keep them so the sprouts don't get too long? I've done a bit of research on the site and am becomming very confused. It appears that the seeds produce sprouts in the dark, but chitting requires light....? I need to know what to do with the chitted spuds whilts the others are in the ground. Sorry to all if i'm being a bit thick, but i have never done this before and there is so much info (lots of it conflicting) that i am now in a muddle! Thanks to all for patience, support, and the warm welcome i've recieved.

Kea

[nick the grief]

Not a problem Kea, If you don't ask you won't know

Put them soemwhere cool but light. They need to be kepf frost free thats all, so if you've got a shed witha window in that would be ok. or failing that a spare bedroom with the heating turned off & put them in the window. ( if you draw the curtains take them out of the window first cos you'll trap the cold air & it could drop below freezing if we have a late frost.. So log as they get good light & are kept cool the chits will be short & stubby & dk Green.

BTW the difference between 1st earlies, 2 earlies & maincrop is the time it take to mature. Earlies are about 10-12 wks & Maincrop are about 14 weeks depending on varieties.

But just to confuse you even more Maris peer is a maincrop that is harvested as small baby spuds & then sold for a fortune in the supermarkets

Hope that helps.

[Kea]

ok, i think i understand now (finally - duh!) So i can just keep all chits on window (sadly, no shed/greenhouse) until ready to use. I remember reading re green spuds but thought they were poisonous, but only if eaten - logic determines that i won't eat the seed spuds but my O.H did make the comment on seeing the seeds "well, they look just like spuds!" Ha, ha, ha. This site is a godsend for novices like me, but i do appreciate that although we need to ask, it can frustrating for the more accomplished. Thanks for all the help and hope that in a couple of years i will be in a position to offer advice to others

[nick the grief]

It will be sooner than that Kea! Your OH is right, you can't eat Green spudsm but you can plant em!!

As to asking questions, it would be a pretty boring forum if people didn't ask questions ! Thats what it's here for knowledge sharin & as "we" cover all of the british isle's you'll have a local expert - winner