Seed Potatoes

[Garden Manager]

I apologise if this has been covered before, but I did a search and came up with nothing relevant.

I have read in  a few postings on the subject about keeping seed potatoes in the dark when you first get them, to stop them chitting too early. This intriged me. i have long wanted to extend the potato cropping season, and even once tried specialy treated tubers for an autumn/winter crop which was not a sucess.

I find that the period of time that seed potatoes are available is so short it is dificult to set up a decent sucession of cropping.

Is it possible to, say buy more seed of an early variety than is needed for the first crop, and store the remainder for chitting and planting later. If so how long can seed tubers be stored and remain viable?

Any tips/advice welcome  :)

[Garden Manager]

[ajb]

Apparantly you can store them in the top of a fridge (which should be about 5C). This is the advice that is given for storing first earlies to use later to produce Christmas new potatoes. I haven't tried it yet, but will have a go this year. This will be my first summer with an allotment and I haven't had space for spuds before.

A.

[philcooper]

Don't keep them in the dark, unless you can keep the temp down to fridge level, 4-5 degrees C.

If you can't do that, make sure they have plenty of day light, this will stop you getting long spindly sprouts - but as Tim pointed out elsewhere, if you plant these carefully they will be ok.

Last year I put some second earlies in the salad comparement nof the fridge - they were very wrinkly in July but still produced some "Christmas" new potatoes - and that was a lot cheaper than buying the "special" seed

Phil
Phil

[Garden Manager]

Great thanks All. Possiblities there, though the fridge option may be out - our fridge isnt big enough for food let alone anything else!

Would a cool garage or unheated greenhouse be Ok?

[fat larry]

wow! so i can buy some pots now, stick em in the fridge till july then plant em and get spuds fresh from the garden for Christmas...this gardening malarkey is fantastic ;D

[ajb]

Richard - aim for the coolest place you can find over the summer. If it gets warm they will need light 'coz, as phil says, they'll sprout (if the ones in my kitchen are anything to go by  ::) ).  I think a greenhouse will get too hot for them.

It's a shame houses don't come with cellars anymore.

[Garden Manager]

A well it will have to be the garage then. It stays pretty cold in there even in the summer. Thanks.