[bazh]

Hi all

A quick question about chitting spuds I plan on planting my maincrop hopefully around the weekend of 4th April, so will be starting chitting them on the weekend of the 14th Feb. Does that sound ok?

2nd question is do I chit my earlies and plant them out at the same time? All help appreciated.

Many thanks
Baz

[pushrod]

THIS thread might be useful.

[Yorkie]

Yes to both questions!

All types of spuds get planted at the same time; the type (earlies etc) indicates how long until the potatoes are ready to harvest.

Traditionally spuds were planted at Easter, which gives you a period of a few weeks - including early April.

[Salmo]

Chitting seed is in essence advancing the potato lifecycle.

Buy the potatoes any time now and store them in a cool and frost free place. Many shops keep them too warm and they start to sprout. Do not buy them. A garage or shedis ok, they are fine in the dark at this stage. The important thing is to keep them cool so they do not start to sprout.

About 6 week before the expected planting date bring them into a warm and light place. After about a week the potatoes dormancy will break and sprouts, called chits, will appear in the eyes. They think it is Spring.

Once you can see the chits move the potatoes to a cool, light and frost free place. A cool geenhouse or shed window is fine but they may need covering or bringing inside if a frost is forecast.

They will hold like this until you are ready to plant. The chits will grow and become miniature potato plants. Around the base of each you will observe small baubles. These are the roots waiting to grow as soon as they go into the soil.

To get really early potatoes you will need to be prepared to protect tops against frost. I would aim to plant in early March which should give you the first taste in early June. To achieve this you will need to start off the chiting process at the start of February.

[bazh]

Thanks for the replies.