Seed Potatoes

choille

Alibobsy - If you cut up potatoes that you're going to plant you should make sure there's an 'eye' on each segment - a place where it'll sprout.

I do chit, but as you say it's not really proven if that makes any difference - just feels like you're giving the seed a head start.

oldsam

Are you able to attend a Potato Day event in your locality , You will find it very worth while , For potatoes of all sorts will be available sold number or weight so you can try different ones from at least 100 sorts-Also pea,beans,seeds onion sets, shallot and garlic offered , Growing advice from a local groups- So go online to find a date of a potato awayday- also look in the gardening press. Gayle 21 There a special thing about garden taters that Flavour- SHH! don't tell anyone it our secret!

Megansmum

Last year I bought a pack of 10 rubble sacks (strong binliners really!) from Wilko's and used them to grow my spuds in.

Made a few drainage holes in the bottom and stuck them on the patio till pretty full then moved them down the garden!

I rolled the sacks down to start with and each time I covered the leaves with more compost I just rolled the edges up a bit.

Got loads of tatties from them and it was easy to move them round the garden and to get the compost and tats out when I wanted them!

I used cheap seed potatoes from Wilkos last year, but this year i want to try for a more flavoursome variety!!

Chitting just means letting them grow the knobbly bits on them that you usually get when you've had them too long!

***A great cheap way for newbies like me!:rotfl:***

choille

I have in the past made tyre towers to grow tatties in. You start off with one tyre, put the seed in, cover with soil/compost then when the plants show put another tyre on top & fill with soil/compost. Keep building up until the plant is finished growing - usually four or five tyres high. Handy if you have loads of old tyres lying around - I guess

Vixie_Pixie

thecheapfashionista - they look like small potatoes that have sprouty bits

after consulting the parents they don't chit... as they reckon it makes no difference!

ooh i like the tyres idea... someone round my way has dumped loads.. might go and salvage!!

tlck9

I bought 24 tubers ready to chit, for £2.20 from my local garden centre, you can mix what you get, so I got 5 maris Peers, 10 Maris ??? and 9 think they were swift?

valk_scot

Our allotment association puts in a bulk order for seed potatoes to a local potato merchant Good selection of earlies, second and maincrops for £2 per 2.4 kilo bag...beats the local garden centre prices anyway! I ordered Jersey Royals for earlies, Charlotte as second early/salad spuds, Desiree for maincrop all rounders and Pink Fir Apple for late season salad spuds.

I chit mine. It's better for them than storing them in the dark to go all wrinkly and grow long shoots. Remember that most potatoes don't get planted till late March (in the south) or April in the south. I only put in my order for them last week and won't get them from the merchant till late Feburary. His storage unit is the best place for them at the moment.

redfraggle_2

My local 99p store in leamington Spa had packs of seed potatoes for sale along with onion sets - great bargain!