"Robert" wrote in message

How odd, I disagree with the organic gardening people, if you put
them in
the dark it only speeds up the chitting which at the early stage of
the year
is not what you want

I've just got to ask. Why would one bother to chit potatoes? By that
I mean what are the advantages of chitting over not chitting them.

I've grown lots of spuds (under straw for many years - on top of the
ground with straw on top - not in the ground) and I've never chitted
them and they still seem to produce well and push their way up with no
problems at all.

My family has grown spuds commercially for at least 5 generations (and
God knows how many before that in Ulster) and I know that they were
never chitted for field planting in at least the last 3 generations
which is as far back as I've known how they planted their spuds in
Oz..

"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow wrote in message
...
: "Robert" wrote in message
:
: How odd, I disagree with the organic gardening people, if you put
: them in
: the dark it only speeds up the chitting which at the early stage of
: the year
: is not what you want
:
: I've just got to ask. Why would one bother to chit potatoes? By that
: I mean what are the advantages of chitting over not chitting them.
:
: I've grown lots of spuds (under straw for many years - on top of the
: ground with straw on top - not in the ground) and I've never chitted
: them and they still seem to produce well and push their way up with no
: problems at all.
:
: My family has grown spuds commercially for at least 5 generations (and
: God knows how many before that in Ulster) and I know that they were
: never chitted for field planting in at least the last 3 generations
: which is as far back as I've known how they planted their spuds in
: Oz..
:
No, well it's not really practical on a large scale I suppose but Gardeners'
World tests last year showed that chitted potatoes were more productive

Alan Holmes wrote:
::: I think you're being a little unfair as the advice given by La Puce
::: was taken from an official source. Gardening in a lot of matters is
::: what works for you, there is not necessarily a definitive answer
::
:: Is that 'official source' a practiacl source, or a theoretical one?
:
: No she has taken advice from the Organic Gardening link , (Henry Doubleday
Research Association ) she provided : and they obviously think that is the
best way. I don't agree with it
: but it doesn't mean that it's wrong.
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/factsheets/gg9.php

In article , Robert
writes

How odd, I disagree with the organic gardening people, if you put them in
the dark it only speeds up the chitting which at the early stage of the year
is not what you want




Something to do with etioliation isn't it?

I agree with you, I wouldn't want them to start sprouting too early, so
keep them wit lots of light to keep them short.


--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

In article , Robert
writes

I think you're being a little unfair as the advice given by La Puce was
taken from an official source. Gardening in a lot of matters is what works
for you, there is not necessarily a definitive answer


NO but isn't it nice to be in a hobby/past time where experience is
often more useful than 'official' information
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

On 31 Jan, 18:04, "Robert" wrote:

I think you're being a little unfair as the advice given by La Puce was
taken from an official source. Gardening in a lot of matters is what works
for you, there is not necessarily a definitive answer

Thank you Robert for your support. Either some people can't read my
post or they are simply incline to give me a hard time.

As I said in my first post, I never put my spuds in the dark, contrary
to what articles say - I don't like the rapidity with which they
sprout. Furthermore I've grown spuds for 40 years. It amuses me to see
people saying I get it wrong when they never give any advice
themselves. The people in this forum who keeps at me, either do not
garden as I do and do state this often. One has asked when to sow
seeds ... which is frankly unbeleivable for a gardener to ask, whilst
the other one is merely a trouble maker and never gives any advice.

This hatred towards me arrised when I stood by my guns. I have no time
for them and do not even bother reading them. Fortunately, I'm not the
only one either. Everyone is welcome in this forum - be it the little
ladies spending time sharing recipes and gossips to the professionals
sharing their passion. I only wish the old loons would give up on me
though.

On 1 Feb, 12:17, Janet Tweedy wrote:
I agree with you, I wouldn't want them to start sprouting too early, so
keep them wit lots of light to keep them short.

My original advice entirely. So why did I get the cold shoulder? I do
not understand (

On 1 Feb, 09:05, "Robert" wrote:
Alan Holmes wrote:
::: I think you're being a little unfair as the advice given by La Puce
::: was taken from an official source. Gardening in a lot of matters is
::: what works for you, there is not necessarily a definitive answer
:: Is that 'official source' a practiacl source, or a theoretical one?
: No she has taken advice from the Organic Gardening link , (Henry Doubleday
Research Association ) she provided : and they obviously think that is the
best way.

I don't agree with it
: but it doesn't mean that it's wrong.

But I didn't take my advice in the article for crying out loud!!! What
is this? Can anyone read my post now? I said " When I come to chitting
my spuds, I place them in a close veranda, which is very cool but
light". I don't put them in the dark myself.

Please Robert, just read Alan's post for the last few weeks (including
the many cross posts from other people in other forums where Alan's
idioties have accumulated over the years), then those of Rupperts and
just make your own mind.

What you actually see is the rest of a serious argument we've had a
few month ago. These two chaps are really bored, and boring.

On Thu, 1 Feb 2007 17:40:27 +1100, "Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow
wrote:

I've just got to ask. Why would one bother to chit potatoes? By that
I mean what are the advantages of chitting over not chitting them.

If I recall, last year or the one before, on Gardeners' World they did
a trial to see if chitting gave a better crop.
I seem to remember that they came to the conclusion that chitting is a
good idea for earlies, to get them going quicker, but it made no
difference for maincrops.
I have a friend who has good potato crops and never bothers chitting
any of them.
However, it is better to have them in the light so that they form
short green shoots, than in the dark where they sproug long, etiolated
shoots. Timing is essential, to get them just right for planting
time. (traditionally Good Friday; April 6th this year)

Pam in Bristol

La Puce wrote:
: On 1 Feb, 09:05, "Robert" wrote:
:: Alan Holmes wrote:
::::: I think you're being a little unfair as the advice given by La
::::: Puce was taken from an official source. Gardening in a lot of
::::: matters is what works for you, there is not necessarily a
::::: definitive answer
:::: Is that 'official source' a practiacl source, or a theoretical one?
::: No she has taken advice from the Organic Gardening link , (Henry
::: Doubleday
:: Research Association ) she provided : and they obviously think that
:: is the best way.
:
: I don't agree with it
::: but it doesn't mean that it's wrong.
:
: But I didn't take my advice in the article for crying out loud!!! What
: is this? Can anyone read my post now? I said " When I come to chitting
: my spuds, I place them in a close veranda, which is very cool but
: light". I don't put them in the dark myself.

Oh I see. "Put your spud eyes up in your egg box and place in a cool place,
preferably dark to start with and then when you see little shoots move
them to a lighter place."
When I get my taties I count the chitting as from then onwards, so assumed
others did too.

May your spuds never wither

On 1/2/07 12:35, in article
, "La Puce"
wrote:

snip

This hatred towards me arrised when I stood by my guns. I have no time
for them and do not even bother reading them. Fortunately, I'm not the
only one either. Everyone is welcome in this forum - be it the little
ladies spending time sharing recipes and gossips to the professionals
sharing their passion. I only wish the old loons would give up on me
though.

Since you have dredged the subject up again, I will take the right to reply.
The intense dislike of you - you're not worth wasting the energy hatred
requires - arose because you gave and continue to give bad gardening advice
or to suggest unsuitable or unasked for plants or planting schemes. You used
your husband's position to boost your reputation and talked of URBED London
as 'my London office', something for which you were rebuked by them,
finally. That is why you now 'forbid' people to mention URBED London or
Manchester here, even though you did so ceaselessly yourself, as is
archived.
When your poor advice was corrected by those here who know more than you,
you went into a spectacularly vulgar display of screaming and stamping,
using bad language and calling posters here - particularly the females by
all manner of insult. As we see above, you're at it again because you're so
low, so vulgar that you can't stop yourself.
And then you lied about your awful behaviour and were stupid enough to
believe the group would believe you because some of your swearing was in
French. You drove to be photographed outside my home merely to let me know
you'd got the instincts of a stalker and you threatened several times to
publish here emails that members of this group had sent you. You falsely
accused one member of the group of being a pornographer.
Then you compounded all this by concentrating your considerable spite on one
of the most polite and popular members of this group and tried finally, to
wreck her career for her. You told her that many people here emailed you
about her, something she has proved to her satisfaction to be yet another
lie and at the same time she received a number of 'dropped' phone calls at
her office, requiring her line to be monitored by someone else. A
coincidence perhaps!
You are a venomous liar and even you should have figured out by now that you
are ignored by 99.9% of this group and as they stated at the time of your
spectacular bitchery, are in most peoples' kill files.
Your query in this thread as to why you were given the cold shoulder is
breathtaking. At the time of you bringing this group to its lowest ever
point you were told how disgusted so many were by you AND that you are in
most peoples' kill files. Even you must have the wit to notice that very
few people here will answer your posts or have anything to do with you at
all.
In my view, a warning about you and your behaviour to people you dislike
should be in the urg FAQ for the help and protection of newcomers.
Don't bother answering this because you'll get no response from me. But
every so often with people like you, it's a good thing to set the record
straight for those with no experience of your methods.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

On 1/2/07 14:55, in article , "Pam
Moore" wrote:

On Thu, 1 Feb 2007 17:40:27 +1100, "Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow
wrote:

I've just got to ask. Why would one bother to chit potatoes? By that
I mean what are the advantages of chitting over not chitting them.

If I recall, last year or the one before, on Gardeners' World they did
a trial to see if chitting gave a better crop.
snip

That would make sense of the fact that Jersey farmers always chit their
Jersey Royals which are, of course, some of the earliest around.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

On 1 Feb, 15:55, "Robert" wrote:
Oh I see. "Put your spud eyes up in your egg box and place in a cool place,
preferably dark to start with and then when you see little shoots move
them to a lighter place."

That's the article. Not my opinion as my follow up sentence prooved. I
wrote, quote "Put your spud eyes up in your egg box and place in a
cool place,
preferably dark to start with and then when you see little shoots move
them to a lighter place. When I come to chitting my spuds, I place
them in a close veranda, which is very cool but light."

When I get my taties I count the chitting as from then onwards, so assumed
others did too.

Yes, I do and let them sprout till I plant. I'm not really fussy -
they always work.

My veranda is very cool because not heated and light. Ask Bob, I had
this conversation before with him. I never put seeds, any seeds, in
the dark. I don't like the way they indeed sprout too quickly, get
lanky etc. In my veranda it gives me planting of time to then plant
them out.

May your spuds never wither

)

On 1 Feb, 16:02, Sacha wrote:
Since you have dredged the subject up again, I will take the right to reply.
The intense dislike of you - you're not worth wasting the energy hatred
requires - arose because you gave and continue to give bad gardening advice

Post your proof Sacha. Which advices have I given wrong? I have asked
this before but you never EVER post them. You are simply bitter that I
do have lots of answer and indeed that I don't need Ray to tell me all
of them ... Know what I mean?

I'm just about to put out a column in the next issue of the national
Permaculture magasine to follow on issue 50 where I was in centre
page. I have an RHS II, a Permaculture certificate, and I've just
ambarked upon a garden design course at the chelsea KLC which by the
way features in the last RHS The Garden Magasine. So much for your
constant 'KLC school' rubbish you sprout out a few weeks ago.

You cannot for some really obscure reasons give me the time of day. I
don't know why. Really I don't. Maybe you are xenophobe, maybe you are
jealous. I've no idea but trully it's too much. There's people in this
forum saying the most insane of advices and still you don't bat an eye
lash. As for those emails claims I don't even want to understand what
you are talking about. The fact remains that the person concerned has
achieved nothing. You have misguided that poor woman and ran her into
serious trouble. That perhaps is something you cannot forgive
yourself. It's your problem, not mine. Sticking your nose in other
people's business is not advisable. Hoping you've learn your lesson.

I want once and for all, as I've asked many time before, that you post
the proof of my bad advice. In return I will post all of the bad
advice from others, some inane discussions and the many advices you
have particularly given in the name of your husband Ray.

As for my company, I mentioned it to Keith so that he could check the
work we do with Cooperative UK and the toolkit we have set up to
calculate co2 emmissions. It's all to do with questions asked to us -
not about me, but answers to questions. If this displeases you I am
sorry but I have told you since 14 months now that I am not a troll, I
am passionate about what I do and I am very sorry if your jealousy is
too much for you. Go for a walk around your garden and give us all a
break.

La puce
www.urbed.coop

"Sacha" wrote in message
. uk...


Don't bother answering this because you'll get no response from me.
--
Sacha


I take that with a huge pinch of salt :-((

Mike


--
.................................................. .........
Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association
www.rnshipmates.co.uk
www.nsrafa.com