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Author Topic: tattie question!!!  (Read 5881 times)

sellickbhoy

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • Muiravonside, near Linlithgow
tattie question!!!
« on: March 31, 2009, 07:52:28 pm »
oh dear!!

I bought my seed potatoes far too early and i went out to plant them today, they've chitted beyonf belief, each tattie having a 4" plus chit sprouting out of it!!!

so, should i just plant as is, or should i break them off? or time for new seed spuds??

Rosemary

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Barry, Angus, Scotland
    • The Accidental Smallholder
Re: tattie question!!!
« Reply #1 on: March 31, 2009, 07:55:42 pm »
Plant it but be careful. You'll be eating new potatoes next week ;D

sellickbhoy

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • Muiravonside, near Linlithgow
Re: tattie question!!!
« Reply #2 on: March 31, 2009, 08:04:26 pm »
that's ok, i dont mind that at all!!

I had a bit of a brain wave last week and decided that if i dug very deep drills (down into the soil beneath the raised beds) then i would be able to earth them up more

the raised beds look like they've been ploughed now with high ridges peaking up above the walls of the raised beds and deep valleys in between the ridges.

this better produce a bumper spud crop!!!

loopy

  • Joined Mar 2009
Re: tattie question!!!
« Reply #3 on: April 01, 2009, 11:24:12 am »
i'm growing potatoes for the first time this year but although the seed potatoes had been chitting for a long time, they were no where near as long as yours?

Out of interest, how long does it usually take people's potatoes to show any visible signs of growth above the surface of the soil?  i planted the first 2 varieties of mine 2 weeks ago, and nothing has happened yet, and one was the "swift" type which are meant to crop within 7 weeks of planting? and i'm starting to question this!! (having said that, my first lot of carrots took 3 weeks to come up so maybe i'm fretting for no reason!)

thanks L

sellickbhoy

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • Muiravonside, near Linlithgow
Re: tattie question!!!
« Reply #4 on: April 01, 2009, 12:59:32 pm »
i planted some in containers a month or 6 weeks ago - the containers were in the greenhouse, but even at that, it was still a bit cold.

anyway, nothing showed for 3-4 weeks (these were also early varieties, one of which is supposed to be ready in 8-10 weeks)

in the last 2 weeks, it's been a fair bit warmer and they are coming on quite nicely now - i've had to earth one pot up a couple of times already, the other 2 a little slower

i think you'll start to see signs in the next few days.

also, once the leaves pop out, it's worth making sure they are watered every day and keep earthing up a little bit at a time to keep the leaves just covered.

loopy

  • Joined Mar 2009
Re: tattie question!!!
« Reply #5 on: April 02, 2009, 12:09:27 pm »
thanks, i really hope so - i always have this fear of failure whenever i try growing something for the first time, so even though i've seen it said so many times that potatoes are easy to grow, i won't be happy until i see signs of life! fingers crossed you are right and they spurt into life soon!

Fluffywelshsheep

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Near Stirling, Central Scotland
Re: tattie question!!!
« Reply #6 on: April 02, 2009, 12:14:22 pm »
it isn't that difficult to grow tatties they mostly look after themselves

linz

Fluffywelshsheep

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Near Stirling, Central Scotland
Re: tattie question!!!
« Reply #7 on: April 02, 2009, 12:16:05 pm »
should i break them off

never break them off, some times the potatos only have energy for these sprouting so if you do break them you have waisted the energy and they wont be any good for anything

sellickbhoy

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • Muiravonside, near Linlithgow
Re: tattie question!!!
« Reply #8 on: April 02, 2009, 12:39:52 pm »
thanks, i really hope so - i always have this fear of failure whenever i try growing something for the first time, so even though i've seen it said so many times that potatoes are easy to grow, i won't be happy until i see signs of life! fingers crossed you are right and they spurt into life soon!

i only started growing my own veg last year (in fact, i didn't plant anything in my life until last may.)

i didn't think i'd be able to do anything and that i'd spend morning noon and night in the garden pulling out weeds, pulling out crops i mistook for weeds, and not being able to grow anything for the table at all

but in my experience - limited as it is - get some good soil/compost, chuck in seeds, add water and ta da - things grow!

it's almost breathtaking.

i managed a good crop of carrots, parsnips, tatties, strawberries, peppers, chillis, beetroot, sweet peas, normal peas, garlic, shallots and onions - even my rhubarb looked great and it took all my will power to leave it for the 1st year - i nearly cried over winter when i'd seen it had disappeared - every day i was away looking to see if it was gonna come back!!!

i think all the problems i've had have been of my own making - and not having any patience!! still, that'll come with experience.

this year will be the year of tackling fruit bushes, how to prune and propogate them - and keep birds off!!! grrrrr

G0MZS

  • Joined Apr 2009
Re: tattie question!!!
« Reply #9 on: April 02, 2009, 03:21:31 pm »
I've just split my potato seeds leaving a head on each and will give them a few days to heal before planting out, anyone ever split their potato seeds?

Wellieboots

  • Guest
Re: tattie question!!!
« Reply #10 on: April 02, 2009, 06:29:27 pm »
You could have quite easily taken the chitted heids aff, would only have slowed down the development of tubers by a few weeks once in the ground. If planted, then take care not to lop them off as its better to do so before planting so that the "wound" can heal over before hitting the earth.

As I'm sure you know, there are no hard or fast rules re chitting (there are as many pro chitting as there are don't bother chitting folks). I've had my tatties chitting since early Jan when I was sent them & got most of them in the soil last w'end (still to prepare other beds) & got a load into containers a week earlier in the greenhouse that have started to come up.

Basically, you might get a smaller crop from earlier planting (or closer planting) but then aren't new tatties (and especially the small ones) the dogs bits that they keep licking even when in company? ;D

 

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