Seed potatoes

tringle

Just digging up the last of our potatoes and some of them are little ones, how can I store and save them for seed potatoes next year?

Also, got and email form a garden centre saying to sow seed potatoes now for a Christmas harvest. Does anyone know if these are a special variety of potato or will any potato grow form now to Christmas. Thanks

laoch na mona

What I normally do is store them in boxes of sand, I use whatever I have (normally those plastic crates from supermarkets) and but in a layer of sand followed by some of the seed potatoes, and build it up layer by layer. It helps if you can keep the seed from touching each other as much as possible.

I would consider it a bit late to set spuds, Maincrop (the latest set ones) are usually all out of the ground by October.

Genghis Cant

laoch na mona wrote: »

What I normally do is store them in boxes of sand, I use whatever I have (normally those plastic crates from supermarkets) and but in a layer of sand followed by some of the seed potatoes, and build it up layer by layer. It helps if you can keep the seed from touching each other as much as possible.

We stored tonnes of them over the years just piled in the shed, covered with straw.
We even stored them in the 25 kg paper bags.
For a small quantity I'd store them in a cardboard box, well covered to keep the frost out.
The earliest we were sowed spuds was around Patricks day. I don't know anything about sowing them this time of year.

tringle

Thanks, we have managed to save potatoes no problem for eating but was wondering about saving some for seed next year so will try the box of sand for some small ones.

Yep, I looked up the garden centre website and they have some autumn planting potatoes for eating at xmas. I'm going to give some a try in large bags in the polytunnel...no need to chit apparently.

http://http://www.johnstowngardencentre.ie/advsearch/index?keywords=autumn%20potatoes

laoch na mona

must try growing autumn spuds myself some year, I'd say they would need a poly tunnel even then it seems optimistic

Hocus Focus

I find that leaving potatoes in the ground usually produces more potatoes, usually giving you a crop you didn't know you were going to have:)

tringle

Hocus Focus wrote: »

I find that leaving potatoes in the ground usually produces more potatoes, usually giving you a crop you didn't know you were going to have:)

Yep, we call them feral potatoes here, random potatoes growing all over the garden. Its great though when they grow in the compost heap from potato peelings, great recycling.

laoch na mona

tringle wrote: »

Yep, we call them feral potatoes here, random potatoes growing all over the garden. Its great though when they grow in the compost heap from potato peelings, great recycling.

there a pest when your trying to maintain a rotation though

Genghis Cant

laoch na mona wrote: »

there a pest when your trying to maintain a rotation though

Great way of spreading disease too.

tringle

laoch na mona wrote: »

there a pest when your trying to maintain a rotation though

Agreed, they are growing among my courgettes now and I just cant get to them. We've emptied the potato bed and dug over it twice to try and ensure no more random ones remain for next years.

laoch na mona

tringle wrote: »

Agreed, they are growing among my courgettes now and I just cant get to them. We've emptied the potato bed and dug over it twice to try and ensure no more random ones remain for next years.

I pull up the potato seedlings that sneak in, it does the trick. I have a plot of potatoes growing so I don't need to have random potato plants choking out my onions ect