Talkback: Chitting potatoes - Page 2 - Talkback

Gardeners' World Web User

20/06/2008 at 14:50

Never grown potatoes before when do i dig then up they have big stems no flowers yet is it after they have flowered

Gardeners' World Web User

22/06/2008 at 21:24

I have grown potatoes in buckets with my children at school. They have grown very tall in fact so tall that we have had to tie them to canes. There are no signs of any flowers and we planted them in April. Will they be ready by the end of term? July 23rd or will I have to take them home with me? How will I know when they are ready to be harvested?

Gardeners' World Web User

24/06/2008 at 11:14

Please. whats the best way to store potatoes. have had a good crop, and can not eat them fast enough. thank you.

Gardeners' World Web User

13/07/2008 at 16:24

my potato plants look like they have little tomatoes growing from the top near the flowers what is this and is it harmful

Gardeners' World Web User

14/09/2008 at 07:51

I took on an allotment last winter and have dug up some wonderful potatoes left by my predecessor. I don't know the name of them - I think they're a main crop - and want to grow more next year.

I have saved some of the best, largest potatoes and want to know what I need to do to them so that they will provide me with more next year.

Gardeners' World Web User

21/09/2008 at 14:20

We are wanting to plant chitted potatoes now (Sept) so they are ready for Xmas. Are we able to do this and what are the best kind to go for? Cheers.

Gardeners' World Web User

09/11/2008 at 17:19

Started on our allotment last Feb and really pleased with the harvest we had for our first season. Biggest problem was the slug attack on the potatoes. Any suggestions as to how we can tackle those slugs that live in the soil?

Gardeners' World Web User

09/11/2008 at 17:21

Some of the potatoes we are storing in sacks are starting to chit. Is this a problem and if so how do we stop it?

Gardeners' World Web User

04/02/2009 at 17:45

I have heard on the last Gardeners Question time that planting Charlotte and Juliet potatoes are a good choice. Are they early ones? I don't know much about them.

Gardeners' World Web User

23/02/2009 at 09:51

hi we have just bought potatoes from france which are called belle de fontenay the box doesnt seem to have any intructions.it is nearly the end of february and i dont know whether to chit them and they are meant to grow small salad potatoes.is there any way i can grow them bigger? also what is the best way to store them as i read that they dont keep long. are they first earlies, second earlies or maincrop??? thankyou very much

Gardeners' World Web User

13/03/2009 at 10:54

For 'new allotment person'-- Chit them by all means! It doesn't matter how green they look, as long as when you set them you don't break off the new shoots!. Whether you can "grow them (belle de fontenay) bigger" depends on many things. Did you see a 'finished' crop in France or did you buy "on spec"?? When you plant depends on the weather and where you live - my Charlotte and Ditta will go in in the next few days, this in Norfolk. So long as their new tops aren't above ground they'll stand frosts. When they show, and frost is forecast, put newspaper or fleece over them. I've had a good crop from pots. whose first tops were frozen off but which came on with a second growth. Also grown two crops of Charlotte in succession on the same ground in the same season. It all depends on the weather! Good Luck!

Gardeners' World Web User

18/03/2009 at 17:08

well i just bought a box of them as seed pototoes,didnt see them fully grown- this variety is meant to not last long,any comments on this? also, they have been chitting for about 4 weeks and sprouts are about 1/3 inch long, is this normal?

Gardeners' World Web User

25/03/2009 at 10:00

Belle de Fontenay is a old salad variety and so it won't get huge whatever you do with it!. Having said that you will get some larger tubers. I've never grown it - although the flavour is supposed to be very good - I always seem to come back to Charlotte year after year. Let the shoots grow a bit longer - I usually like them to be about 1/2 inch long although some let them grow on to an inch long but I worry about knocking the sprouts off if they're too big.

Gardeners' World Web User

02/04/2009 at 15:44

i also planted the variety "kestrel" as well, i bought them very well chitted, sprouts (or plants!) were about 10-15cm long. how long will these take to come up? also any info on the variety??

Gardeners' World Web User

07/04/2009 at 10:50

How long will 'Kestrel' take to come up? How long is a piece of string! It depends as much as anything how moist/wet the soil is when they're planted: how deep: soil type etc., and the weather following planting. Obviously if the soil is v. moist (and therefore usually cold), it takes longer to warm up and for the shoots to show through. Be patient! - and, as most potatoes have 2/3/4 'eyes', even if you break off the most forward shoot, the others will come through OK, but later. Good luck! - and hope for sunshine! Re 'Kestrel' -- Can't help with the variety -- I grow only Charlotte/Ditta/Wilja and Desiree; Covers all our needs!

Gardeners' World Web User

09/04/2009 at 13:34

ok,ok! i am a first time grower you know! how frequantly do 'tatties need watering?

Gardeners' World Web User

10/04/2009 at 13:29

Water spuds? Rarely, but it depends on your soil (sandy/clay/rich loam), and where you are.If the weather is bone-dry for 3 weeks or so, and you have plenty of water to hand, by all means do.I'm in Norfolk: dry part of the Country, but the last time I remember watering was 1959, and even the they didn't get much. That Summer was so dry that end of June I had to deepen the well for drinking water! In general I'm not in favour of watering at all (except to 'settle' a plant when planting-out, or it's vital to save a crop). If you DONT water, a plant will go down looking for moisture and generally look after itself.That's nature!. If you DO water, the roots will tend to be shallow - OK until the long, hot weekend when you go away, and find on Monday that everything looks very poorly. Again, GOOD LUCK! -- and keep an eye on what the 'old boys' are doing. Nothing's better than getting info. from your allotment neighbours - they may not tell you EVERYTHING!!,but their experience is often priceless .

Gardeners' World Web User

10/04/2009 at 13:38

for ' new allotment person' --- Forgot to ask (out of interest, and relevant to your query re. potatoes) Where are you (County), what is your allotment soil?

Gardeners' World Web User

11/04/2009 at 12:22

i am on the border of hertfordshire with heavy soil but where the potatoes are it is a bit dry

Gardeners' World Web User

11/04/2009 at 14:33

--- further West, and a bit damper than here, I reckon. You'll probably get away without watering if this Summer follows the trend of the last few years. [Having written that, we'll probably have the driest Summer in living memory ------] As I said before -- watch what the "old boys" are doing! If they weren't successful they wouldn't still be gardening. Another useful tip -- use a weedkiller, regularly! Of course I mean the steel blade on the end of a long wooden handle, not the stuff in a bottle. If the soil is kept "open" it doesn't lose much water. It may LOOK dry, but hoeing reduces water loss. Hoeing is good. I was always told "Always hoe where there's no weeds, and you'll never get any" - and weeds use water too! Good Luck.