Fruit
13 April 2023
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Potatoes are one of the most versatile and widely used vegetables in the world. And good news – once you’ve got the hang of chitting potatoes, growing them is super easy!
If you’re looking to get the most out of your potato harvest, then chitting potatoes is a great way to ensure a bumper crop. So let’s dig in.
Chitting means allowing some initial potatoes to grow small shoots before planting. This helps to give them a head start when it comes to growing loads more.
So, probably the easiest place to start is to head to a garden centre and buy a specific bag of planting potatoes. We like to get a couple of varieties, as this ensures different crops of potatoes throughout the season. Something like this starter pack is perfect if you’re just starting out. Alternatively, these are a great option to give you a steady variety of crops all season.
We’re going to suggest you start with some ‘First Early” potatoes, and then some ‘Main Crop’. Don’t worry, they’ll be clearly labelled. Open the bag of potatoes and leave it somewhere light and frost-free. You don’t want it too hot or cold, around 10 degrees celsius is optimal but don’t stress too much about getting the temp exactly right. A windowsill works great here.
Lynne’s Top Tip:
We like to pop our potatoes in an egg box to hold them in place. This way, they can easily form little shoots, and it’s a fun way for kids to check on their progress every day. Leave them there for about 4-5 weeks and wait for the shoots to be about 3 cm long.
These little potatoes with shoots ready to plant are called Chitted potatoes.
Why do we chit potatoes?
Simply to give them a head start when they get planted, because potatoes grown after chitting tend to grow bigger and faster. We’re just giving them a little boost to begin with.
How do we plant these chitted potatoes when they’re ready?
Potatoes are not fussy about where they are planted, so they’re a great vegetable for total beginners to grow. They do well in pots, bags, or raised beds. You just need to make sure that the soil is well-drained and the location is sunny.
If you can, it’s always a good idea to mix in some compost as you plant to make sure that the soil is full of nutrients for your spuds. Loosen the soil to a depth of about 30cm and plant the chitted potatoes with the eyes (shoots) facing up. Make sure they are covered well with soil, as potatoes turn green and poisonous when exposed to the sun. Water them well, then leave them to it.
When to plant your potatoes
Ideally, we should aim to start chitting our potatoes in January or early February. We would the want to plant them out into our soil around 6 weeks later (so say March through until late April). However, we’ll have another chance later in the year to grow these again if we miss the initial Spring planting season. Either way, just ensure the plants get plenty of sunlight and water.
Ok, this bit is important. Once the potato plants are about 20cm tall we need to ‘Earth them up”. This means putting a mound of earth around the stems to encourage more growth. This makes sure the tubers that are growing stay under the soil so that they don’t turn green.
If you’re planting into a container, then make sure you leave space for earthing up the plants when you initially plant.
Over to you
Chitting potatoes is a great way to get your potato crop started. Throughout the year we’ll be reminding you when it’s time to harvest, along with plenty of growing and tending tips along the way. Make sure you’ve signed up to our Weekly Growing Guide so you get all of this growing goodness straight to your inbox.
Let us know how you’re getting on in the Comments below, or tag us in anything you’re sharing on social. So sit tight, keep your plants well-watered, and watch the magic happen, and you’ll be making homemade chips with your homegrown potatoes before you know it!
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