Potatoes and timing
 

I cut them into sections (one eye per section) a couple of days before
planting. This allows the cut sides to heal first. If you don't, they
could just set there and rot. I plant mine in a raised row, or at least
where excess water will run off after a lot of rain. If they set in a lot
of water, they will also rot.

Plant them a couple of weeks before the average date of your last frost. If
they get frosted, they will come back. After preparing the garden, lay them
on the ground (eye up) and cover them with about 20 cm of dirt. As they
come up, cover them again, and continue to do this. The higher you pile
the dirt up around the plant, the more potatoes you will grow (some people
plant them inside a wire cage that is a meter high).

When the potatoes plants start dying and turning brown, dig them up, clean
them off, let them set somewhere out of the sun for 24 to 48 hours, and then
store them in the coolest room in your house. I still have potatoes in my
basement that I dug last August.

The planting I described above is OK if you have a large place to plant
potatoes and you can get enough to last you the winter with one planting.
Otherwise you can repeat the process around June and harvest them before
freezing.

If you need any more information, you can e-mail me dirrectly if you would
like, or just re-post on the group.

Good luck. Dwayne




"Chris Stewart" wrote in message
...

"will" wrote in message
om...
Could some kind person provide some answers for a newbie potato grower
please?

I have bought some seed potatoes: earlies and main-crop. Should these
all be chitted and planted at the same time? Obviously I want to have
a long period of potato availability. If I plant them all at the same
time, do I pull them at the same time and store them, or can I leave
them in the ground till required? Or do I chit them progressively
through the spring and plant them progressively?

I live in Berkshire if that makes any difference.

Thanks for your help.

Will

Hi Will,
You should chit them and plant them at the same time. They are
ready at different times. Some experts will be able to tell you when to
lift
them, but it's partially determined by how long you can wait (!) The more
obtuse advice is to lift them when they are ready!
Chris S