Pete C wrote:
Ophelia wrote:
alan.holmes wrote:
Except that, if Martin really had any usefull information, it would
have been better either to post it or email it.

Thank you Alan but I was wrong to discount any work that Martin had
put into his response. I have spent my working life researching. It
is very easy for me to do that but I am enjoying the ideas and
friendly discourse here. It is so much nicer to talk. For example,
when I asked about waiting to plant my potatoes until the shoots had
appeared, Steve was able to tell me that :

"There is disagreement every year about whether it actually achieves
anything anyway"

I probably couldn't have found that by googling. I am able to access
the knowledge and experience of real people here.

Nevertheless, I do apologise to Martin.

Indeed.......I ask questions here even though I know I could Google.
Nothing beats personal knowledge and experience.

Thanks Pete.

Pete C wrote:
Ophelia wrote:
Bob Hobden wrote:
"Ophelia" wrote
snippy
I did say I was a beginner, but perhaps I didn't make it clear just
how much of one
Interesting..........when does one move on from being a beginner?
Ophelia.......drop me a mail.....I have some info for you

Thank you My email is good.

"Ophelia" wrote
Bob Hobden wrote:
"Ophelia" wrote
Just to be sure I know what this means.. does it mean waiting til the
spuds have wee shoots growing from them?

Yes, well actually, getting them to start to sprout.

Ah! I supposed that one put them in the light and waited. Is there a
technique?

Sounds like you have the technique. Some spuds are slow to sprout, other
romp away.

I mentioned that when at Harlow Carr recently, I bought some bags,
compost and some seed potatoes. I have them in the light awaiting
sprouts. I have no sprouts. Must I wait till the sprouts grow
before I can plant them, please?
No, if they haven't started to sprout and are otherwise OK then just
go ahead and plant.

Just one more question if you please. Do I bury the potatoes completely
or leave some of the bumpy bits poking out?


Yes, normally about 6 inches down. I use a bulb planter pushed into the soil
as far as it will go to cut a hole.

ps Not just a question to you Bob, but are my questions terribly asinine?
Would it be preferable to the group for me to go away and do some research
first?

I did say I was a beginner, but perhaps I didn't make it clear just how
much of one


We all had to learn sometime, not everyone is lucky enough to have had years
of advice/practice from good allotment gardeners as they grew up. Sometimes
a simple question from a novice can make experienced gardeners question
themselves, which is always good.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

Bob Hobden wrote:
"Ophelia" wrote
Bob Hobden wrote:
"Ophelia" wrote
Just to be sure I know what this means.. does it mean waiting til
the spuds have wee shoots growing from them?

Yes, well actually, getting them to start to sprout.

Ah! I supposed that one put them in the light and waited. Is there a
technique?

Sounds like you have the technique. Some spuds are slow to sprout,
other romp away.

*I* have the technique??? Wow)))

I mentioned that when at Harlow Carr recently, I bought some bags,
compost and some seed potatoes. I have them in the light awaiting
sprouts. I have no sprouts. Must I wait till the sprouts grow
before I can plant them, please?
No, if they haven't started to sprout and are otherwise OK then just
go ahead and plant.

Just one more question if you please. Do I bury the potatoes
completely or leave some of the bumpy bits poking out?


Yes, normally about 6 inches down. I use a bulb planter pushed into
the soil as far as it will go to cut a hole.

Ace thanks)

ps Not just a question to you Bob, but are my questions terribly
asinine? Would it be preferable to the group for me to go away and
do some research first?

I did say I was a beginner, but perhaps I didn't make it clear just
how much of one


We all had to learn sometime, not everyone is lucky enough to have
had years of advice/practice from good allotment gardeners as they
grew up. Sometimes a simple question from a novice can make
experienced gardeners question themselves, which is always good.

You are most kind, thank you. It is very much appreciated.

On 3/4/09 16:38, in article , "Gopher"
wrote:

In message , alan.holmes
writes

"Ophelia" wrote in message
...
Gopher wrote:
In message , Ophelia
writes
Martin wrote:
On Fri, 3 Apr 2009 13:48:23 +0100, "Ophelia"
wrote:

Just to be sure I know what this means.. does it mean waiting til
the spuds have wee shoots growing from them?

I mentioned that when at Harlow Carr recently, I bought some bags,
compost and some seed potatoes. I have them in the light awaiting
sprouts. I have no sprouts. Must I wait till the sprouts grow
before I can plant them, please?


The RHS and Google are your friends
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile...tatoespots.asp

Thanks Martin, but if I want to google for things myself, then there
is not much point in belonging to a newsgroup

This seems a less than courteous reply - or do I detect some history
here? If Martin can take the trouble to look up fulsome advice from
the professionals on how to grow potatoes for you and then point you
in the direction of the detailed advice surely that is as acceptable
to you as cutting and pasting the verbiage followed by a signature? A
newsgroup doesn't only exist to re-write or paraphrase what already
exists. Rather to help with advice - such a Martin has given.

If I have caused offence, then I apologise unreservedly. It was certainly
not meant in the way you seem to perceive it.

Except that, if Martin really had any usefull information, it would have
been better either to post it or email it.

Absolutely no problem Ophelia ..... my perception of things is
frequently out of sync :-))

But, Alan, I do not see how it would have been better to cut, paste and
post or E-mail a couple of pages of info rather than give the key to its
instant access. But then that's just my opinion .... and everyone is
entitled to theirs, and to express it. Ho hum.....!

Just my opinion of course but I think both methods have their place in a
newsgroup like this. People can get techie info from Google but what is
also invaluable is *personal* experience. Sometimes it comes from new
gardeners, sometimes from long-term ones and both learn from the other
through chatting and not just looking up Google, although Google references
are invaluable at times, IMO.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
Exotic plants, shrubs & perennials online

Bob Hobden wrote:
"Ophelia" wrote
Just to be sure I know what this means.. does it mean waiting til the
spuds have wee shoots growing from them?

Yes, well actually, getting them to start to sprout.

I mentioned that when at Harlow Carr recently, I bought some bags, compost
and some seed potatoes. I have them in the light awaiting sprouts. I
have no sprouts. Must I wait till the sprouts grow before I can plant
them, please?
No, if they haven't started to sprout and are otherwise OK then just go
ahead and plant.


Mine are already up! They are all around an inch or two above the
surface of the soil. I'm just hoping there aren't any really hard frosts.

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

David in Normandy wrote:
Bob Hobden wrote:
"Ophelia" wrote
Just to be sure I know what this means.. does it mean waiting til
the spuds have wee shoots growing from them?

Yes, well actually, getting them to start to sprout.

I mentioned that when at Harlow Carr recently, I bought some bags,
compost and some seed potatoes. I have them in the light awaiting
sprouts. I have no sprouts. Must I wait till the sprouts grow
before I can plant them, please?
No, if they haven't started to sprout and are otherwise OK then just
go ahead and plant.


Mine are already up! They are all around an inch or two above the
surface of the soil. I'm just hoping there aren't any really hard
frosts.

Show off ))))

On Fri, 03 Apr 2009 17:00:23 +0100, Ophelia wrote:

Bob Hobden wrote:
"Ophelia" wrote
Just to be sure I know what this means.. does it mean waiting til the
spuds have wee shoots growing from them?

Yes, well actually, getting them to start to sprout.

Ah! I supposed that one put them in the light and waited. Is there a
technique?

I mentioned that when at Harlow Carr recently, I bought some bags,
compost and some seed potatoes. I have them in the light awaiting
sprouts. I have no sprouts. Must I wait till the sprouts grow
before I can plant them, please?
No, if they haven't started to sprout and are otherwise OK then just go
ahead and plant.

Just one more question if you please. Do I bury the potatoes completely
or leave some of the bumpy bits poking out?


The former. I use a bulb-planter. One advatage of chitting is thast you
can see which end has the most sprouts: put that end facing up! Otherwise
look for the 'eyes' the bits you gouge out when peeling spuds) and put
the end with most of them pointing up.

"Ophelia" wrote in message
...
alan.holmes wrote:
"shazzbat" wrote in message
...

"Ophelia" wrote in message
...
Just to be sure I know what this means.. does it mean waiting til
the spuds have wee shoots growing from them?


Yes. The sprouts are called chits.

I mentioned that when at Harlow Carr recently, I bought some bags,
compost and some seed potatoes. I have them in the light awaiting
sprouts. I have no sprouts. Must I wait till the sprouts grow
before I can plant them, please?

No, stick them in now. There is disagreement every year about
whether it actually achieves anything anyway. TBH, I'm surprised
they haven't started sprouting in the bags by now.

Me too, mine have been sprouting for ages, but being a lazy begger I
haven't had the get up and go to get them in the ground, perhaps
tomorrow!

Well, I suppose with better knowledge, I would have looked for a bag
of
seed potatoes with sprouts. I only bought them a few weeks ago.

I don't think its important to buy potatoes already starting to chit, if the
time is not right to plant them, seeds already chiting can be a real
nuisance.

I never buy bags of seed potatoes, as there are always far to many for my
needs, I look for places which sell them loose, so I can choose exactly
those which are suitable for me to use.

Alan

"Ophelia" wrote in message
...
Bob Hobden wrote:
"Ophelia" wrote
Just to be sure I know what this means.. does it mean waiting til the
spuds have wee shoots growing from them?

Yes, well actually, getting them to start to sprout.

Ah! I supposed that one put them in the light and waited. Is there a
technique?

That is what I do!

On Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:12:29 +0200, David in Normandy wrote:

Mine are already up! They are all around an inch or two above the
surface of the soil. I'm just hoping there aren't any really hard
frosts.

Same here, but mine are covered by three or four inches of vraic so
shouldn't suffer even if do get a late frost.

Derek Turner wrote:
On Fri, 03 Apr 2009 17:00:23 +0100, Ophelia wrote:

Bob Hobden wrote:
"Ophelia" wrote
Just to be sure I know what this means.. does it mean waiting til
the spuds have wee shoots growing from them?

Yes, well actually, getting them to start to sprout.

Ah! I supposed that one put them in the light and waited. Is there a
technique?

I mentioned that when at Harlow Carr recently, I bought some bags,
compost and some seed potatoes. I have them in the light awaiting
sprouts. I have no sprouts. Must I wait till the sprouts grow
before I can plant them, please?
No, if they haven't started to sprout and are otherwise OK then
just go ahead and plant.

Just one more question if you please. Do I bury the potatoes
completely or leave some of the bumpy bits poking out?


The former. I use a bulb-planter. One advatage of chitting is thast
you can see which end has the most sprouts: put that end facing up!
Otherwise look for the 'eyes' the bits you gouge out when peeling
spuds) and put the end with most of them pointing up.

Thank you That'll be the lumpy bits then?

alan.holmes wrote:
"Ophelia" wrote in message
...
alan.holmes wrote:
"shazzbat" wrote in message
...

"Ophelia" wrote in message
...
Just to be sure I know what this means.. does it mean waiting til
the spuds have wee shoots growing from them?


Yes. The sprouts are called chits.

I mentioned that when at Harlow Carr recently, I bought some bags,
compost and some seed potatoes. I have them in the light awaiting
sprouts. I have no sprouts. Must I wait till the sprouts grow
before I can plant them, please?

No, stick them in now. There is disagreement every year about
whether it actually achieves anything anyway. TBH, I'm surprised
they haven't started sprouting in the bags by now.

Me too, mine have been sprouting for ages, but being a lazy begger I
haven't had the get up and go to get them in the ground, perhaps
tomorrow!

Well, I suppose with better knowledge, I would have looked for a
bag of
seed potatoes with sprouts. I only bought them a few weeks ago.

I don't think its important to buy potatoes already starting to chit,
if the time is not right to plant them, seeds already chiting can be
a real nuisance.

I never buy bags of seed potatoes, as there are always far to many
for my needs, I look for places which sell them loose, so I can
choose exactly those which are suitable for me to use.

I bought just a few. They did have big sacks full but I got a small ...
umm... net? of them! About a dozen if memory serves without going outside to
look. I will tomorrow though if you would like to know?

alan.holmes wrote:
"Ophelia" wrote in message
...
Bob Hobden wrote:
"Ophelia" wrote
Just to be sure I know what this means.. does it mean waiting til
the spuds have wee shoots growing from them?

Yes, well actually, getting them to start to sprout.

Ah! I supposed that one put them in the light and waited. Is there a
technique?

That is what I do!

Derek Turner wrote:
On Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:12:29 +0200, David in Normandy wrote:

Mine are already up! They are all around an inch or two above the
surface of the soil. I'm just hoping there aren't any really hard
frosts.

Same here, but mine are covered by three or four inches of vraic so
shouldn't suffer even if do get a late frost.

Vraic?