Question about growing potatoes

Bear with me, this is the first time I've ever tried to grow spuds, and I want to get it right! I've put them into the chitting tray....er, do I just leave them on the windowsill now until they sprout? I don't have to water them or add soil or anything?
Sorry to be such an idiot....

 

Nope, just in a tray, in the light, no soil, no water, no nothing else! Best to have them "eyes upwards", if you are not sure keep an eye on them and turn around any that start sprouting at the bottom.

They don't have to be chitted to plant them, so when you are ready to plant them get them in, regardless, but chitting will mean that they harvest a bit sooner (more important for First Earlies than main crop)

 

No pun intended?

 

Hi Leonora, spuds are so easy to grow, as long as you don't let them get to hot or frosted there not much can go wrong. You can plant them 4 weeks before you can expect your last frost. Good luck.

 

Excluding Blight, Scab, Slugs, eh?

 

Plus ants making nests/rabbits burrowing amongst them and rats digging them up or am I the only one who gets that?

 

No, thats just you Scrunge

 

You left out plaque, tornados and earthquakes, come on guys you are supposed to encourage members to grow things not live in fear.

 

And Silurians.

 

I deliberately left out more obscure problems I've had, such as loose bullocks trampling my spuds.

And I'm sure it was rats digging/nibbling them as I've read that badgers only go for the mashed stuff

 

errmm, what was the question?

Don't faff, bung them in 6" deep, frost shouldn't be a problem by the time the foliage emerges, if forecast, cover the foliage! Don't chit maincrop spuds.(my opinion only)

 

I thought you over simplified it saying "spuds are so easy to grow, as long as you don't let them get to hot or frosted there not much can go wrong"

People who grow something for the first time, and it then fails, are likely to be put off if they embarked on it believing that "any numptie can grow this" and then their crop failed.

Any crop can fail, and Potatoes are often straightforward, but few crops have a "pest" like Blight that can wipe out the whole crop, rather than just disfiguring a few, or reducing yield "a bit".