Chitting Your Seed Potatoes

Posted on 29. Jan, 2009 by Justin in Vegetables

Chitted potatoes. Image: RHS Now is the time of year to start thinking about potatoes and you have to do something very important before they go in the ground. This is a process called Chitting.  When you buy your seed potatoes you need to set them out in trays or egg boxes end uppermost. Place the trays in the light but not direct sunlight and in about 6 weeks small sprouts will appear. These will be ready for the ground in late March for the early varieties and you can take a bit more time with second early / maincrop potatoes as they need to go in the ground for mid April. 

As I've only just started chitting my potatoes I've borrowed a picture from the RHS website to show you what they should look like. 

Photo from RHS Website

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7 Responses to “Chitting Your Seed Potatoes”

  1. John Ford

    25. Feb, 2009

    I am doing a lot of patio planting this year for the first time but in all my reading I cannot find the reason why do pot`s have to be standing up on end when chitting? Please advise.

  2. Justin

    25. Feb, 2009

    Hi John, I’m not an expert but I have a suggestion. As a potato is covered with eyes where the sprouts will appear, by putting the tuber on its end you are giving all the eyes the easiest and most accessible route to the light. This should in theory allow the tuber to develop strong shoots ready for planting.

    I hope this answers your question?

    I’d be interested to here how you get on with the patio planting as I’ve always struggled with the strict watering regime in the summer months.

  3. DogSalad

    29. Apr, 2009

    It’s amazing - nobody has actually said what “chitting” is and how you do it! - whatever it is!

  4. Chitting Your Seed Potatoes The Food Club | Portable Greenhouse

    01. Jun, 2009

    [...] Chitting Your Seed Potatoes The Food Club Posted by root 20 minutes ago (http://www.thefoodclub.co.uk) Greenhouse staging middot share your garden success 2008 the food club all rights reserved powered by wordpress designed by woo themes Discuss  |  Bury |  News | Chitting Your Seed Potatoes The Food Club [...]

  5. Chitting Your Seed Potatoes The Food Club | Portable Greenhouse

    01. Jun, 2009

    [...] Chitting Your Seed Potatoes The Food Club Posted by root 2 minutes ago (http://www.thefoodclub.co.uk) Greenhouse staging middot share your garden success 2008 the food club all rights reserved powered by wordpress designed by woo themes Discuss  |  Bury |  News | Chitting Your Seed Potatoes The Food Club [...]

  6. JaneRadriges

    13. Jun, 2009

    Hi, very nice post. I have been wonder’n bout this issue,so thanks for posting

  7. Arthur Seddon

    04. Mar, 2010

    I believe we stand the potato on-end with the notches from which the shoots will grow pointing upwards. The shoots slowly emerge from the surface of the dry potato in the warmth and light, in my case on my greenhouse staging. When they have grown to between a quarter to half an inch long, plant the potatoes about 15″ apart and 4-5″ deep in well manured, or composted soil, shoots pointing upwards. The rows should be 2.5ft apart. Take great care not to damage the shoots when planting. The roots will grow downwards from the underside of the seed potato, giving rise to large numbers of tiny potatoes along the roots, from where they will grow larger and larger as the summer progresses, and will be ready to be dug-up in August/September, after the leaf stems have started to die down.
    They taste 100% better than the purchased potatoes, if eaten very soon after harvesting

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