Will these potatoes grow?

greengiant · Posted: Sat Jul 24, 2010 1:28 pm Post subject: Will these potatoes grow?

Hi

Can someone solve a debate between my wife and myself? She got these seed potatoes from her mother last month and thinks they'll have no problem growing, whereas I say nay (nothing to do with them coming from mother in law you understand:lol: ). See photo below.
Any opinions....?

michael brenock · Posted: Sat Jul 24, 2010 9:33 pm Post subject:

those seed potatoes will grow but will not produce tubers. The stalks will grow but on account of the shortening days the stalks will not have sufficient energy built up to initiate or produce a crop of tubers or at very best you could expect a crop of tiny marbles.
michael brenock horticultural advisor (retired)

PeterEnglish · Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 8:58 pm Post subject:

If she'd given you the same seed potatoes in April, I'd have said yes, but this is not the time of year to be planting seed potatoes of dubious origin.

If you want to keep in with your mother-in-law, there are seed potatoes available at the moment for planting for Christmas dinner, but they've been chilled and kept dormant all year. Telling porkies to your mother-in-law is not a good idea, but how about telling her you were encouraged to investigate the matter further and one of Ireland's foremost experts (that's to say, Mr Brenock, not myself!) didn't think it possible so your wife used her initiative and came up with an alternative suggestion...

greengiant · Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 10:21 pm Post subject:

Thanks for your advice fellas.

That's an interesting course of action you advise to take with the mother in law Peter - I'd need to rehearse it to myself many times first though to sound convincing! Then again, I could just cook her those seed spuds for Christmas & let her draw her own conclusion! Actually, no - doesn't bear thinking about! Shocked

PeterEnglish · Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 10:45 pm Post subject:

Making rude mother-in-law jokes will probably get both of us banned from the forum, but do you still have that old newspaper? There appears to be an interesting article about 25 rattlesnakes in a bucket...

greengiant · Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 11:33 pm Post subject:

Would just like to state that my mother in-law is a lovely woman and her seed potatoes placed on an article about rattle snakes was entirely coincidental! Embarassed

Honestly....