On 1/27/05 9:09 AM, in article , "jane"
wrote:

On Thu, 27 Jan 2005 07:18:32 GMT, Gary wrote:

~On 1/24/05 7:54 AM, in article ,
~"jane" wrote:
~
~ On Sat, 22 Jan 2005 00:14:00 GMT, Janet Baraclough
~ wrote:
~
~ ~The message
~ ~from jakalad contains these words:
~ ~
~ ~ I was interested in Janes comments on the question of International
Royal
~ ~ kidneys and in particular the advise that the new potatoe must be picked
at
~ ~ an early stage. I grew Arran pilots last year and suffered from very
~ ~ floury potatoes. Their boiling properties appeared to improve slightly
~ ~ with peeeling but in general they were a flop as a new potatoe
particularly
~ ~ if left with the skin on. I put the problem down to a bad choice of seed
~ ~ but I am now wondering if I simply lifted them too late. Jak
~ ~
~ ~ I grew Arran Pilot the year before last, just because we'd moved to
~ ~Arran where they were bred, and found them very disappointing at every
~ ~stage. Now I've reverted to my all-time favourite Estima which I can
~ ~recommend as a delicious baby new potato and also as a whopping old
~ ~potato (we're still eating last years crop).
~
~ I'm growing half a dozen varieties again I hope - which is the
~ advantage of getting spuds by the tuber rather than buying huge bags!
~ Last year I tried
~
~ Accent (ok but only got 3/5 plants, can't remember them being amazing)
~ Mimi (red salad, cherry tom size, nearly all hollowed out by slugs)
~ Red Duke of York (the most stunning colour and delicious)
~ Ratte (waxy salad - and I found some volunteers in December - which
~ were perfect, hardly any slug damage for months underground!)
~ Pink Fir Apple (very waxy salad - not much slug damage)
~ Estima (weren't brilliant but then again they were planted very late
~ so I'll try again)
~ International Kidney (third year now, seem to like my lottie and
~ seaweed meal and extract!)
~ Sarpo Mira/Axona/Tominia (dug up start of November and ate for
~ Christmas - very nice and they definitely didn't get blight, but then
~ again neither did anything else...)
~
~ So this year I'll drop the Accent and Mimi and try Kestrel. Rest the
~ same.
~
~ Chitting starts this weekend...
~
~Chitting?????? Vell vot dos this mean? Dis verd chitting?
~

I get ze feeling somevon is taking ze Michael.
'Taking ze Michael'? Vot doz dat mean? Dis 'taking ze Michael'?

:-)

(seriously, don't you let spuds grow shoots before you plant them out?
Or are techniques rather different in the freezing wastes of .ca?)

Is that what 'chitting' means-to let spuds develop shoots before planting?
And by the 'vay...zee koldt ees ont the East koast nut ont zee Vest koast in
..ca

To answer your question...potatoes when in the sun will turn green and there
will be an awakening of the seed...the buds will start. Should they not get
enough sun they will 'reach' for it and develop long shoots. I was told a
long time ago (last weekg) to break them (long sprouts) off before
planting and I think the person who told me had an English accent.
I have my spud seeds set up in a window that has the most direct sunlight. I
want them to awaken but not develop long shoots. They were in the fridge and
were sprouting there and I took them out and put in the sunniest spot I
have. I want short stubby shoots not long spindly ones.
Comments welcome on this theory.