Chitting Potatoes: What's your approach?

[gary350]

I use to put 7 or 8 potato eyes under this upside down 5 gallon fish aquarium every winter then harvest about 4 to 8 lbs. of new potatoes in about 3+ months. Seed potatoes were under 6" of good warm soft soil. Sometimes green tops would freeze off then grow back or try to grow back. I use to plant this about Thanksgiving or Christmas then check see what is in there about mid April.

I have not used this fish aquarium in 5 years. Today I do an experiment to see if it keeps some of my carrot plants warm.

 

[Meadowlark]

I tried sprouting seed potatoes in pots once. I bought 16 oz plastic drink cups then made 8 drain holes in the bottom of all the cups. I mixed garden soil with compost material to make a good soil. I filled cups 1/2 full of soil then the seed potato then fill cut to top with soil. Pack soil down 1/2 so I can water cups and no water flows over the tops. I had a few plants growing tops in 1 week.

Interesting. I'll try this method on stubborn spuds this spring.

When the time gets to within about 10 days of planting and a spud in chitting has not yet begun to sprout, I'll try the cup method on it. That might help with those stubborn ones I seem to get every spring that are slow to sprout.

 

[gary350]

Interesting. I'll try this method on stubborn spuds this spring.

When the time gets to within about 10 days of planting and a spud in chitting has not yet begun to sprout, I'll try the cup method on it. That might help with those stubborn ones I seem to get every spring that are slow to sprout.

Stubborn spuds that refuse to chit need to be warmer, heat breaks dormancy it often takes 2 to 4 weeks. Set spuds on an electric heating pad about 80° F.

 

[Meadowlark]

Stubborn spuds that refuse to chit need to be warmer, heat breaks dormancy it often takes 2 to 4 weeks. Set spuds on an electric heating pad about 80° F.

Yes, I always do that, pads and all ...but I'm talking about some that in spite of the warmth, still haven't put on sprouts. Happens every year...and this time I'm going to pull those stubborn ones out and put them in cup w/soil a week before they are to go in the ground to see if that helps.

Here's mine currently chitting at room temps and sitting on heating pads. Many are showing eyes already...but the stubborn ones, and there are always a few, will get the special treatment starting in another 10 days or so.

 

[gary350]

Yes, I always do that, pads and all ...but I'm talking about some that in spite of the warmth, still haven't put on sprouts. Happens every year...and this time I'm going to pull those stubborn ones out and put them in cup w/soil a week before they are to go in the ground to see if that helps.

Here's mine currently chitting at room temps and sitting on heating pads. Many are showing eyes already...but the stubborn ones, and there are always a few, will get the special treatment starting in another 10 days or so.

I have the same problem there are always a few stubborn potatoes that refuse to sprout. I have 17 red potatoes that are not sprouting, today I soak them in 90° water all day to see if that makes them sprout. It is always best to have too many seed potatoes if some refuse to sprout I still have enough to plant a full 30 ft row. I hate 30 ft rows that are 5 ft short. I hope the Amish garden store has seed potatoes March 1st this year just in case I need a few spuds to fill in a short row.

 

[Meadowlark]

Special treatment on stubborn spuds in progress. Interested to see if this works. Small dormant spuds in each container covered with garden soil.

 

[Meadowlark]

It's been two weeks and not a single one of the above small potatoes are showing any eyes. Maybe they are just too small to sprout. Special treatment hasn't worked.

It is potato planting time here now and a must to get the seed potatoes in the ground so they can beat the onslaught of heat that is sure to come. Those little ones will go in the ground also but I'm not expecting anything out of them.

 

[gary350]

I had no luck sprouting my red potatoes either. 1 sprouted , 5 rotted, 11 feel soft like mashed potatoes. The potato that sprouted feels like mash potatoes also. Time to dump these in compost pile.

I have about 10 good sprouted red potatoes outside in the shed.

My son only wants 30 lbs. of new red potatoes. 10 red seed potatoes might grow 30 lbs. of new potatoes.

 

[Meadowlark]

I have about 10 good sprouted red potatoes outside in the shed. My son only wants 30 lbs. of new red potatoes. 10 red seed potatoes might grow 30 lbs. of new potatoes.

Oh yeah, he should get well over 30 pounds of new potatoes from that. Looks like around 4- 5 lbs. of seed and > 10 to 1 can be expected on reds in most places.

 

[gary350]

Oh yeah, he should get well over 30 pounds of new potatoes from that. Looks like around 4- 5 lbs. of seed and > 10 to 1 can be expected on reds in most places.

Here are the 11 Red potatoes I have in my shed. 11 seed potatoes have 15 eyes total. 15 eyes will grow 15 plants. Red potatoes usually grow 2 lbs. to 4 lbs. of new potatoes from each plant. 15x2=30 lbs. and 15x4=60 lbs. I won't know for sure how many lbs. until I dig up new potatoes. I kept saying I will keep better notes but I usually forget. I also never know how many new potatoes moles have eaten. Years past moles did not leave many new potatoes for me to dig up. Last year I planted several times more potatoes than we need and mole population doubled several times to more moles than the garden has every had. If I plant Russet potatoes moles eat them first. This year I am going to sprinkle caster bean seeds in all the potato seed rows to see if that keeps moles away. I'm not sure if caster beans kill moles or just keeps them away?

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Here are the 11 Red potatoes I have in my shed. 11 seed potatoes have 15 eyes total. 15 eyes will grow 15 plants. Red potatoes usually grow 2 lbs. to 4 lbs. of new potatoes from each plant. 15x2=30 lbs. and 15x4=60 lbs. I won't know for sure how many lbs. until I dig up new potatoes. I kept saying I will keep better notes but I usually forget. I also never know how many new potatoes moles have eaten. Years past moles did not leave many new potatoes for me to dig up. Last year I planted several times more potatoes than we need and mole population doubled several times to more moles than the garden has every had. If I plant Russet potatoes moles eat them first. This year I am going to sprinkle caster bean seeds in all the potato seed rows to see if that keeps moles away. I'm not sure if caster beans kill moles or just keeps them away?

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Used to be that people put a bit of paraffin (Kerosene) on peas to stop mice eating them. I said I didn't fancy it, but I think it was Tetters said there was no harm in it. I believe in the US there is a blanket ban on allowing oil products to enter the ground.

 

[Meadowlark]

Kerosene on peas would certainly stop me from eating them, whether it stopped mice or not.

As related to seed potatoes, I treat the cuts with elemental sulfur to prevent disease. Wood ash was used "back in the day" by family members in the Ozarks, but that tends to raise ph which can be contrary to what potatoes require. Works for me.

 

[gary350]

I would think putting Kerosene on garden plants will kill the plants before the bugs.

When I was a kid in the 1950s growing up in southern Illinois old timers grew Winter Onions also known as, Egyptian Walking Onions to keep bugs away from plants. Each winter onions grow about 30 to 50 sets, plant sets with the garden plants you want to protect from bugs. I have grown winter onions several times but never tried it for keeping bugs away so I can't say for sure that it actually works in my garden. I gave up growing squash stink bugs kill plants before we get any squash to eat so maybe I should grow winter onions again??? My TN potatoes never have bugs but we had them in IL. I have 14 bird houses I think that keeps most of the bugs out of my garden.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I would think putting Kerosene on garden plants will kill the plants before the bugs.

Peas dipped in it still germinate fine, but if I were going to use it with potatoes I think I would drip a little into the trench, it's going to be the smell that puts them off I think, but yes, I am inclined to put it in with some of the other things gardeners used in the past, like arsenic and white lead oxide.
I have seen it said that alliums generally put off bugs, onions of all sorts, leeks, garlic, all the smelly stuff. One person I read was advocating planting them around the edge of the bed to stop slug invasions. Having caught a slug just starting in on its second onion I am not so sure of that.
I am all for being sceptical, how would they know it put bugs off, any random factor could have put them off, or maybe there just weren't as many bugs around that year, perhaps beetles ate them, attracted to the plants that attract food.
I am an old man and people attribute me with wisdom, and in my wisdom I say there's no fool like an old fool, and traditional methods are not always good. There's nothing to beat thinking, it's the human advantage, we should use it more.

 

[gary350]

I have seen it said that alliums generally put off bugs, onions of all sorts, leeks, garlic, all the smelly stuff. One person I read was advocating planting them around the edge of the bed to stop slug invasions. Having caught a slug just starting in on its second onion I am not so sure of that.
I am all for being sceptical, how would they know it put bugs off, any random factor could have put them off, or maybe there just weren't as many bugs around that year, perhaps beetles ate them, attracted to the plants that attract food.
I am an old man and people attribute me with wisdom, and in my wisdom I say there's no fool like an old fool, and traditional methods are not always good. There's nothing to beat thinking, it's the human advantage, we should use it more.

I have learned that Squash and Cucumbers attract bugs to my garden early about June 10th. I stopped growing squash & cucumbers and have no early stink bugs. Nothing else in my garden has bugs except tomatoes about July 15th. There are no bugs on, corn, beans, potatoes, onions, garlic, melons, carrots, peppers. lettuce, cabbage, broccoli. I never see slugs unless I grow strawberries. Some people claim, okra and Marigold flowers keep bugs away but that does not keep stink bugs out of my garden. I have a dozen bird houses birds do not eat stink bugs. Some years stink bugs are worse than others not sure why.