best place to buy potatos from for planting?

Hi,

I've gone and left my potatos to last, not sure why. I think i just wanted to get my raised bed going as it was most work intenstive. Now though its full of seed and need to build another already .

Any how, i've got some compost bags i'm turning inside out and planting tatties into. but i'm not sure what to use? Can you buy them already chitted from the garden centre? (is that expensive?) Or shall i just use i've bought from the supermarket, not eaten and have chitted?

Or is chitting a myth anyway?

 

Well, I used to always chit. then got fed up with doing it, and I don't think it makes any difference!

 

Between my dad and me, we have grown loads of good tattie crops, and always from supermarket spuds that have chitted themselves. I'm told that this introduces an increased risk of blight, but if you are growing them in sacks then I can't see that would be a problem even if you were unlucky enough to have a blight problem (again between my dad and I, we have never had a single case of blight - touch wood).

 

Buy the bags of seed potatoes from somewhere like Homebase, they're virtually chitted already. I gave them an extra couple of weeks in the windowsill, it may have worked as they really rocketed up (50cm plants already). Homebase also have a better range than the grocers, so you can grow a few different and interesting varieties... buying from the supermarket is okay but then you're stuck with Desiree, King Edward etc. I'm growing Pentland Javelin which you never see in the shops... should be ready soon. :gnthb:
And no, it's not mega expensive. I think a bag of seed potatoes will cost you about £3.

 

Chitting is useful for an earlier crop. I wouldn't bother for a late planting.

For a late planting I would be inclined to plant an Early variety - that doesn't mean that they have to be planted early, just that they take fewer weeks to mature.

I would avoid planting supermarket spuds unless you can;t find anything else - "seed potatoes" are verified disease free, any other spuds are likely to bring with them some of whatever was floating around last year.

 

Cheers, all. Homebase have a great selection of seed tatties btw! Been and got 2 varieties on the way home tonight (cant remember which). I'll get planting them this week i reckon. Some in the first prepped bed in my garden a couple of years ago, and others in inverted compost bags.

Much appreciated!! :D

 

Many years ago, Mum peeled spuds with roots on and cut so much off, Dad planted them and disregarding the time of the year, he eventually had a Very Good crop of spuds, so after getting wed, I did it as well when I had a garden to grow veg in, getting just the same good crop and NO diseases, blight, or anything else an 'Expert' might claim we would get.