The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: plumseverywhere on March 10, 2012, 12:17:26 pm

Title: Potatoes - I messed up!!
Post by: plumseverywhere on March 10, 2012, 12:17:26 pm

I ordered my years worth of seed potatoes and duly unpacked the first earlies to chit. THinking that the rest of them (main crop etc) would be happy in the box - D'OH! they all sprouted, big time.  I've got several bags of potatoes with 5" shoots on.
what do I do?!

Title: Re: Potatoes - I messed up!!
Post by: deepinthewoods on March 10, 2012, 12:26:18 pm

put them in the lightest place in the house, laid out, until the shoots colour up, then plant them, try a few in the potato competition!!

Title: Re: Potatoes - I messed up!!
Post by: plumseverywhere on March 10, 2012, 12:30:32 pm

Thanks Deep in the woods, do you think they'll be OK then?

I have the first earlies laid out to chit and they've barely managed half an inch each!  it said on the site I looked at to plant first earlies mid-march so will it matter do you think if I plants all these lanky ones same time? i'll just need to build a clamp to store them all I guess!

Title: Re: Potatoes - I messed up!!
Post by: Fleecewife on March 10, 2012, 12:41:36 pm

If you plant too early the emerging shoots will get frosted so be prepared to earth up at any hint of frost.
Let the long shoots toughen up before you plant them - they are very fragile and if you break them all off you won't get a crop.  When you plant them, pull the soil around them carefully so they don't break.
The shorter sprouts on the 1st earlies are fine - chitting them is just to give them a head start before they go out, or to prevent long pale sprouts forming as with the ones you kept in the box, but it's not essential.

Title: Re: Potatoes - I messed up!!
Post by: plumseverywhere on March 10, 2012, 03:32:10 pm

Thank you  :)

Title: Re: Potatoes - I messed up!!
Post by: deepinthewoods on March 10, 2012, 03:45:22 pm

you could  try potting them up into 3inch pots, that will catch up the week or two youll lose waiting for the shoots to green up,  when you do plant them out, plant them really deep so the tips of the sprouts are just showing, as fw says keep earthing them up, you might end up with a handsome crop! :thumbsup:

Title: Re: Potatoes - I messed up!!
Post by: plumseverywhere on March 10, 2012, 04:51:33 pm

OK - thank you  :)  Is it green that I want them (when you say colour up)? they are currently fleshy pink colour  :farmer:

Title: Re: Potatoes - I messed up!!
Post by: Fleecewife on March 10, 2012, 05:52:58 pm

The darker green they are the better, so put them somewhere cool (but not frosty) and very light, which will turn them green

Title: Re: Potatoes - I messed up!!
Post by: plumseverywhere on March 10, 2012, 06:44:07 pm

they are sprawled out on my dining room table by the window currently  :)