I need a little advice please.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Caro on April 14, 2012 at 17:04

I'm a bit confused.  Do you have chitted potatoes that you want to cook and eat now or have your potatoes chitted and you're wondering whether the replant them?  Undiscovered potatoes left in the ground to regrow (or replanted) should be perfectly edible as long as they haven't suffered from any pests or diseases during the previous growing season.  I had a huge unexpected harvest of potatoes last year; we ate them and no-one died.  The main thing about potatoes is that, being part of the Solanum family, all visible parts of the plant are poisonous except the tubers.  Once the tubers have started to go green, they must not be eaten as they'll give you a nasty tummy upset! If in doubt, I'd chuck them and start afresh. After all, the point of growing your own food is that you enjoy it!  Hope this helps ... and if anyone begs to differ, please let me know so I don't poison myself!

Permalink Reply by Fred Hogg on April 14, 2012 at 17:51

The advice you have given is sound by me. But your better of, growing from certified, virus free, seed tubers, knowing that they are an Early, 2nd or Maincrop, bearing in mind some spuds are suitable for chips and roasting others are not. The end line:- buy seed spuds, to suit what you require.....

Carolyn said:

I'm a bit confused.  Do you have chitted potatoes that you want to cook and eat now or have your potatoes chitted and you're wondering whether the replant them?  Undiscovered potatoes left in the ground to regrow (or replanted) should be perfectly edible as long as they haven't suffered from any pests or diseases during the previous growing season.  I had a huge unexpected harvest of potatoes last year; we ate them and no-one died.  The main thing about potatoes is that, being part of the Solanum family, all visible parts of the plant are poisonous except the tubers.  Once the tubers have started to go green, they must not be eaten as they'll give you a nasty tummy upset! If in doubt, I'd chuck them and start afresh. After all, the point of growing your own food is that you enjoy it!  Hope this helps ... and if anyone begs to differ, please let me know so I don't poison myself!

Permalink Reply by Caro on April 14, 2012 at 20:12

Yes, I agree entirely.  Much better to know what you're dealing with, and have the benefit of knowing what you can best use your spuds for (mash, roast, chip, salad, etc.)

Fred Hogg said:

The advice you have given is sound by me. But your better of, growing from certified, virus free, seed tubers, knowing that they are an Early, 2nd or Maincrop, bearing in mind some spuds are suitable for chips and roasting others are not. The end line:- buy seed spuds, to suit what you require.....

Carolyn said:

I'm a bit confused.  Do you have chitted potatoes that you want to cook and eat now or have your potatoes chitted and you're wondering whether the replant them?  Undiscovered potatoes left in the ground to regrow (or replanted) should be perfectly edible as long as they haven't suffered from any pests or diseases during the previous growing season.  I had a huge unexpected harvest of potatoes last year; we ate them and no-one died.  The main thing about potatoes is that, being part of the Solanum family, all visible parts of the plant are poisonous except the tubers.  Once the tubers have started to go green, they must not be eaten as they'll give you a nasty tummy upset! If in doubt, I'd chuck them and start afresh. After all, the point of growing your own food is that you enjoy it!  Hope this helps ... and if anyone begs to differ, please let me know so I don't poison myself!

Permalink Reply by Richard Walton on April 14, 2012 at 20:50

Thank you all for your comments. I was going to grow them, but I think I may well be better off throwing them out and starting a fresh.

Permalink Reply by Fred Hogg on April 14, 2012 at 21:04

That would be best, garden centres and nurseries should still have some in stock, did see them in POUNDLAND last week, but if you plant theres you could end up with Salmon Pink Gladioli......

Permalink Reply by Catherine on April 14, 2012 at 21:06

Well Richard...many will give you advise here. But I always plant some spuds that I have bought in shops, especially Red Roosters, and I have always been given a good crop from them and We still live...:)

Permalink Reply by Jennifer Wright on April 14, 2012 at 21:30

Hi all

as far as I understand it solanin the poison in potatoes and deadly nightshade is in the green flesh of spuds and in the shoots-chits-remove the shoots and dig out the eyes and they are harmless-bye the bye a woman in Ireland during the potato famine went on trial for murdering her husband but got off when the jury found out she'd cooked up green potato skins from a refuse heap- for her starving husband no malice intended!

Permalink Reply by Fred Hogg on April 14, 2012 at 21:38

Deadly night shade, tobacco, spuds and tomatoes are all in the same family...

Permalink Reply by Catherine on April 14, 2012 at 21:52

Well..me mam and dad survived....We all know not to eat any green spuds! LOL!!

Just don't use spuds that have any green in them! I use RED Roosters ;)

Permalink Reply by Fred Hogg on April 14, 2012 at 21:57

Congo.