Have I left it too late to pant my potatoes?

[iwouldgoouttonight]

We've been trying to sort out our veggie patch and have only just got it into a state where I can plant anything. I bought some potatoes from a garden centre a couple of weeks ago which were half price because they already had lots of long sprouts on them.

With one thing and another I've not got round to planting them and looked at them this morning and some of the shoots have gone browny purple and the potatoes look a bit shriveled. Do you think they're still ok to plant - had they supposed to look like this? Or have I left it too late and they've gone off?

[Fullmoonfiend]

no, stick them in anyway...Take off weaker shoots and leave the strongest ones. I only planted mine out 3 days ago they have been chitting since abot feb!

[LMAsMummy]

Should still be OK, ours are still waiting to go in! We did them in April last year and they were great.

[MsBombastic]

Only put mine in yesterday, they looked very shrivelled and I am a beginner at this, but I bunged them in anyway. LOL at 'pant'ing potatoes!

[padboz]

daft question, but how do you know when to dig them up?

[iwouldgoouttonight]

LOL - just noticed my pant typo!

I've just been out and planted them!! Some of the shoots were really shrivelled and fell off as I was putting them into the ground. They don't look very healthy compared to ones I planted last year but we'll see what happens! There are still a few shoots on and I've planted more than I need so hopefully some will grow.

[Beauregard]

LOL @ "Pant my potatoes

[Fullmoonfiend]

the foliage will come through, bank up sides with earth as they grow or they will go green. After flowering water well. The foliage will turn browny and droop and die off (august/spet). Yoyu can dig up baby pots from august.

[expatinscotland]

i just did mine at the weekend. i am in Scotland, however, and it has been quite chilly.

i'm waiting to put my peas outside, but the sweetpeas went out and i put the tomatoes in the cheapo plastic greenhouse.

straweberries are out, too.

[sagacious]

We planted ours yesterday.
Would think they'd be ok (our chitted ones seem smaller than last years as well)

IRRC you can take off all but the four main shoots as it makes for sturdier growth so some falling off is probably better anyway IYKWIM

[scottishmummy]

another giggle at pant my potatoes

[MsBombastic]

A friend (the one who brought me the potatoes), emailed me this, specially adapted for me! Bit long but might be helpful.:

Potatoes
Plant your chitted (yours are already chatted) potatoes when the soil has started to warm up, usually from mid-March or early April. Start by digging a trench 7.5-13cm (3-5in) deep, although the exact depth should vary according to the variety of potato you are planting. You have Sharpe?s Express, 5in deep.

Plant early (yours are earlies) potatoes about 30cm (12in) apart with 40-50cm (16-20in) between the rows. Handle your chitted tubers with care, gently setting them into the trench with the shoots pointing upwards, being careful not to break the shoots. Cover the potatoes lightly with soil. As soon as the shoots appear, earth up each plant by covering it with a pile of soil (like a growing sandcastle) so that the shoots are just buried. You need to do this at regular intervals and by the end of the season each plant will have a small mound around it about 15cm (6in) high.
How to harvest
Your home-grown potatoes should be ready for lifting from June, depending on the growing conditions. Earlies can be lifted and eaten as soon as they are ready. This will be when above-ground growth is still green, and usually as soon as the flowers open, although some varieties do not flower. I?ll tell you about when.

Growing tips
Potatoes like plenty of sun, so avoid planting them in frost-prone sites, as these conditions can damage the developing foliage. If you're starting up a vegetable plot on very weedy ground or old grassland, potatoes may help swamp out weeds with their fast-growing, extensive foliage.
It is particularly important that there is adequate water once the tubers have reached the size of marbles. Unless there is regular, ample rainfall, the size and quality of the crop will be reduced if you don't water your potatoes.

Hope this is helpful.