During the cold snap at the end of last week Mr Allen reported in on the progress of our seed potatoes .. "Well tonight when I sat down to write this, I was going to start by saying we will now be able to plant our potatoes because the last of the frost has gone - however as I sit here writing this, it is snowing outside! The redskin potatoes have eventually arrived all the way from sunny California, and the seed potatoes arrived as described - free of disease and rot. However they were not yet ready to be planted as they were not as well 'chitted' as the seed potatoes I'm used to getting in the UK are. 'Chitting' refers to the small shoots that need to be allowed to develop on the seed potatoes before you plant them. Think of chitting as allowing the first shoot on a seed to break through before you actually plant it in the soil. To 'Chit' the potatoes you simply place them in a warm, sunny position indoors and 7-14 days later they will have started to shoot and are ready for planting. (If you want to try this to grow your own potatoes at home you can simply place uncooked potatoes on a sunny window ledge until they shoot. They MUST be organic potatoes though as shop bought ones are most often sprayed with a chemical inhibitor to stop them shooting whilst they are on sale in stores - a great reason to grow your own ones. Also note that you shouldn't eat potatoes that have started to shoot like this). Progress on the above has gone well this week and I think they should be ready to be planted by the children next week in the potatoes sacks....provided it's not snowing." Over and out from snowy Randolph, NJ! |
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AuthorPersonal Musing of Eleanor Wroath - Chatham Day School parent and gardening enthusiast. Archives
June 2015
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