chitting potatoes?

wssla00

OK.... I really need to get my finger out but cant find much info on chitting potatoes.....

Can anyone help me? I know i lay the tubers out on trays in sunglight to grow bits on them.... but how long for and what am i looking for?

Thanks awfully!

diluvsdiscounts

Oh I've put mine under my bed I thought they had to be in the dark

valk_scot

Old egg boxes are good as they support the potatoes upright and space them out to give room for the chits to grow. You want to lay them out "rose end" upwards, ideally. To find the rose end look at the spud and you should be able to spot the scar where the potato was attached to the root of the potato plant. The rose end is the other end. If you can't figure this out though put the end with most eyes upwards.

Yes, they need to be in good light...a windowsill is ideal.. If you keep them in the dark they make long pale spindly shoots that break off while planting. In the light they will make little tough dark green shoots. It's a bit difficult to over-chit potatoes ...they'll be due to go in somewhere in late March or early April, depending on variety and where you live and if you but them now they'll do much better being laid out to chit up till then rather than have them in a dark place growing spindly sprouts.

They have to chit in a frost free place but it must not be a warm place. I chit mine on the utility room window ledge as there's no heating in there.

When you plant, the rose end goes upwards. Some books say to rub off all but three chits but really, this is only for when you want few but large potatoes from a maincrop variety. You can cut a large potato in half to make two seed potatoes but be sure to get a few chits on each piece. It's not that good an idea to do this though as the cut surface can rot.

Having said all this, remember it's ideal practice but in fact it's not necessary to chit spuds at all if you don't get round to buying them till late. You can even use the ones with pale spindly sprouts if that's all you have and you're careful while planting. If you plant them upside down, the plant will still grow. Potatoes are very forgiving!

wssla00

Thanks! I cant wait to start them!

Kimonokawaii

I'm chitting spuds for the first time. I've got them in egg boxes on my bedroom windowsill as my Mum won't let me put them anywhere else! I have opened the window slightly and turned my radiator right down to make sure it isn't too warm for them. I only put them out on Sunday so I'm excitedly waiting to see green shoots appearing!

gazza975526570

If you dont have any egg boxes about using cell trays for seeds/seedlings works just as well and you can get more in them