Friday 29 February 2008

A closer look at chitting...

I popped up to the allotment on the way home from work last night to check how our plastic sheeting was holding up and found that it had been blown around a bit by the wind since the weekend. It didn't take long to put it all back in place along with a few extra weights to try and keep it in place this time. Something tells me that come next winter we'll have to come up with a better way of keeping those sheets in place...

I was reading Soliman's excellent blog this morning and saw the fantastic close up pictures of his chitting potatoes and thought I'd have a go at something similar. When you have a proper look at those strange coloured shoots they're really quite beautiful. Well worth a closer look anyway.

Almost all the red cabbage seeds I planted at the weekend have come through now, 8 out of 12 to be precise. I've taken them out of the propagator now to try and stop them growing too fast, their place in the warmth will be taken by something else in the next day or to no doubt.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I admire all of you who grow such excellent edibles. It's nice to see photos of the new growth. Thanks for sharing. Do you think plastic milk jugs full of water would be an option for you when holding down your sheets. I've even seen folks cut the jugs open a bit more and fill them with dirt. You still got a handle and can move them around if you need to check on the veges.

Matron said...

I remember last year someone's blog featured a whole range of different varieties of chitting potatoes. The chits themselves were all different shapes and colours. Fascinating use of macro photography. They look like good healthy chits too!

Paul and Melanie said...

Hi Anna, thanks for stopping by. :)

I think you're probably right, we've pretty much exhausted our supply of bricks and stones so I think some kind of man-made weights will have to be the next stop. Time to start collecting! :)

Paul and Melanie said...

Hi Matron! You're right, it does seem like different varieties produce different looking chits. The top one is Kerrs Pink and the second is Saxon.

Anonymous said...

Good photos,and interesting! I'll have a look at mine tomorrow.
Did you watch Gardener's World last night? Chitting potatoes was one of the items in it.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Cheers!

WeekendFarmer said...

paul ...in the U.S in the home center called "the home depot" they sell these metal hooks (4-5" inches) that you can use for your sheets. it looks like an inverted "U" that you punch through your sheets to the ground and it anchors the sheets. i usually use them to hold down plastic covers to keep away weeds....might be useful to you...

Anonymous said...

Think outside the box for your weights! Also, don't forget that you can cut your spuds into 'egg-sized' pieces before you chit, this way you get more plants! I've found a great site with some really great ideas for small farms, especially if you're interested in organic growing: www.journeytoforever.org
Love your blog, keep up the great work!

Paul and Melanie said...

@ Flighty... D'oh, missed GW, went to look for it in this weeks schedules and I can't find it.. is it missing a week cos of the Crufts coverage?

@ Weekend Farmer... Thanks for that, I'll have a look and see what I can find. Thanks for stopping by too! :)

@ Blue Fox... lol I think I've got too many spuds as it is, but thats good to know for next year so thanks. :)