How To Chit Seed Potatoes

Chitting potatoes is putting them to sprout prior to planting them.

Chitting or sprouting potatoes need to be stored in the right way to achieve the best type of sprouting shoots from the seed potato.

When the seed potato send out chits/sprouts/shoots you want them to be sturdy healthy shoots.

If you store your seed potatoes in the wrong way they may send out white lanky spindly shoots. You need them to produce sturdy healthy shoots to get your potatoes off to a good start when you plant them up later.

Do seed potatoes need to be chitted?

Seed Potatoes. To chit or not?

Once you have bought your seed potatoes you need to decide if you are going to chit them or not.

Chitting potatoes is a method of starting the seed potatoes into growth before you plant them.

Some people think this chitting process is unnecessary.

Others think this 'chiting ' gives them a head start so that they start into growth faster once planted.

However remember other factors such as that the soil temperature when you plant them is also important, so the further North you are in the UK the later it will usually be before they can be planted.

This is because the soil warms up earlier in the South than the North.

The first potatoes you will plant will be the ones of First Earlies varieties, so to me it makes sense to get them started first.

Chitting seed potatoes is simple to do.

You just need a place to put them where it is cool and light and free from the risk of frost.

Sometimes that is not as easy as it sounds especially if the weather is changeable at the time.

A unheated conservatory might be suitable, or an unheated room in the house.

A garage or shed is OK as long as the temperature does not drop too low at night.

Each year after Christmas I begin to collect up and save empty used egg boxes ready for chitting the seed potatoes in, as these are ideal to use for this.

However if you do not have enough egg boxes/cartons you can successfully chit potatoes in a tray or a shallow box. The egg boxes just have the advantage as the shape they are means that you can pop a seed potato into each little compartment and it rests there neatly.

When chitting potatoes do not forget:

To carefully label your containers of seed potatoes with the variety of potato and also add a reminder of whether it is a First Early, a second Early or a Main Crop Potato -

this will be important information to you when you come to plant them up in your containers, vegetable garden or on your allotment. Also make a note of the advice on the seed potato label package somewhere else in case you lose the advice labels and need them at a later date.

Chitting means encouraging seed potatoes to sprout before planting.

Start chitting your seed potatoes as early as from late January in warmer parts of the country or in February in cooler areas... this will usually be about six weeks before you intend to plant out the potatoes. It makes more sense to start to chit first earlies first as they will be the first ones to be planted out.

To chit your seed potatoes you need something to stand them in... old egg boxes are ideal as they are the correct size and each compartment can hold a seed potato individually.

However you can use seed trays that are clean or a shallow cardboard tray or box.

Now you need to know which way up the seed potatoes go in the egg boxes...see the explanation below.

Then place them in cool and light area where there is not risk of frost.

The seed potato has a more rounded 'blunt end' which has a number of 'eyes'.

Which way up do seed potatoes go when you are chitting them?

You need to stand the seed potatoes so that the blunt end with the 'eyes' is upwards in the old egg boxes or you can use the seed trays.

Remember to put them in a place with plenty of natural light but where they will not be subject to frost.

If you think about it the seed potatoes will chit anyway as that is what happens naturally. The method of chitting described is just giving the seed potato the right conditions to chit and form strong growths.

Chtting problems - If you are worried about putting them in the box to chit the wrong way up it is possible some will have started to sprout anyway when you buy them. Do n't worry about putting them in the box wrong - as soon as they start to chit you will know if you need to turn or move them. If I have several boxes of potatoes and some are nearer to the light than others I swap the position of the boxes round now and again so that they all get their fair share of light.

If the 'chits' look spindly and pale then the room you have them in is probably too warm or too dark.

• Start to chit your seed potatoes from late January in warmer parts of the country or in February in cooler areas, about six weeks before you intend to plant out the potatoes.
• The planting time will vary according to weather conditions that growing season/year.
• Seed potato have a rounded, blunt end that has several of 'eyes'. This is the end that faces upwards to chit.
• Stand them blunt end up in trays or old egg boxes, with plenty of natural light.
• The seed potatoes will be ready to plant when the potato 'chit' shoots are 1.5-2.5cm /(0.5-1in) and the soil and weather conditions are right.

Your chitted potatoes can be planted out when the soil has started to warm up.

Aprox. from mid-March or early April but it will depend on your part of the country and the weather conditions in that year.

Also different types of potato may make a difference to when you plant your seed potatoes out.