[Swing Swang]

This annual chitting ritual seems to be pretty pointless to me, and for the first I'm not going to bother.

My reasoning is as follows:

A few years ago GW did a 'fag packet' experiment and determined that chitting only had a significant effect on first earlies (which are the only sort that I grow).

'Volunteer' potatoes seem to do quite well all by themselves! So putting potatoes into cold ground isn't a major problem per se.

We chit to give the potatoes a head start, but actually don't want their green bits to be exposed before the last frosts (although this can be mitigated against by prompt earthing up).

So irrespective of whether I chit or not, I'm really just wanting the 'green shoots of recovery' to come through the ground after the last frosts (particularly if I am limited in the amount of time that I can spend tending them).

So if I plant unchitted spuds about 10 days earlier than all of you chitters I should achieve the same outcome.

View and opinions please.

SS

[RichardA]

I like chitting - it gives me a sense of doing something when otherwise there is not a lot I can be making progress with. I don't see that it does any harm and in any case as seed potatoes start to sprout of their own volition when they are ready it is better to have well controlled stubby green chitted shoots than long straggly weak white ones.
Chitting encourages me count the potatoes and think about row spacings and numbers etc when planning the various plots and wher I can sqeeze in an extra catch crop etc.
Yes the occasional volunteer does crop up in the open garden but who knows how many simply rot over the winter - could be 99% of them. Who knows.
Does it make any difference ?? Probably not in the scheme of things but I for one will not change just to avoid 10 minutes of effort.
R

[DD.]

If it's good enough for the Potato Council & Iain@jba, it's good enough for me.

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=51096.msg605402#msg605402

I'll continue doing it.

[Salmo]

A few years ago GW did a 'fag packet' experiment and determined that chitting only had a significant effect on first earlies (which are the only sort that I grow).

If you only grow first earlies then surely this is compelling evidence that you should chit.

The important thing with first earlies is not the eventual mature yield but that they bulk up early to give you those heavenly first diggings.

If you plant 10 days earlier with unchitted potatoes my guess is that they will emerge at the same time but the chitted ones will bulk up sooner.

[JayG]

Another reason to chit is that these days the garden centres start stocking the seed potatoes so early that you really have no choice if you want to be sure of buying the seeds you want! 

[bigben]

At the risk of appearing stupid - my seed potatoes arrived, I put them in the spare room laid out but still in their string bags and they are producing chits without me having to do anything. Unless I went to the bother of keeping them in the dark covered up I could not do much less. How do you not chit? I know I could do a bit more and lay them in egg boxes etc but even with what I am already doing (or not doing) I am going to have spuds with chits to plant in a months time. Am I missing something?

[goodegg]

the reason that spuds were chitted is from long ago in vitorian times when the spuds were all lates and very old varieties now with the new varieties its not nesisary to do so but we like ritual of doing so.so every one to there own,thank you.

[JayG]

How do you not chit? I know I could do a bit more and lay them in egg boxes etc but even with what I am already doing (or not doing) I am going to have spuds with chits to plant in a months time. Am I missing something?

I think that is the point I was trying to make; it is almost impossible to stop them chitting without risking frost-damaging them by putting them somewhere very cold.

It's (relative) warmth which starts the chitting process, and light which stops the chits getting long, pale, and brittle, so I would get yours out of the bags because some are bound to be shielded from light by the sound of it.

[RichardA]

Chitting is inevitable - potatoes in store must be checked for just that reason as chits in store are  a waste of energy and spoil the stored potato. DD's point about early lifting to avoid blight is also a sound one in favour of chitting and getting an early start and early finish on main crops as well as early returns on earlies for the sheer pleasure of them.
R

[DD.]

I have to agree with JayG.

Those spuds in the middle of the bag will be putting out long, brittle chits in trying to escape it.

[Swing Swang]

Comments to previous posts:

RichardA >Chitting is inevitable
- Is it? Mine are in the spare fridge in the garage - so cool, dark, and frost free. I'm hoping that some of them don't start sprouting and that way I might try planting some earlies later on in the year too.  So I can produce early-season and late-season earlies and use the ground after the early-season earlies and the ground before the late-season earlies for something else!

DD
- Your link to spud-guru Iain's post was most useful, thanks.

Salmo > If you only grow first earlies then surely this is compelling evidence that you should chit. The important thing with first earlies is not the eventual mature yield but that they bulk up early to give you those heavenly first diggings.
- Ahh, but then I'm a little weired on this one. I can't actually see what all of the fuss is about 'new potatoes'. I much prefer the 'mealy' taste and texture of spuds that have been dug up for a few days, preferably after the 'skin set' stage, rather then wen the skins are loose. I want to eat my potatoes early in the season rather than eat new potatoes.

SS

[harry]

I like looking at my spuds chitting in the spare bedroom its quite theraputic

[mumofstig]

It's one of those perennial gardening questions.............
with the usual answer......each to their own

[Sid]

I have just taken delivery of my Cherie second earlies
And have put them into egg boxs to chitt.
First time for growing spuds on a big scale,last year I had a couple that chitted in veg box and planted intime for Christmas as an experiment,half worked

[lacewing]

I read somewhere recently that chitted potatoes give a lower yield. Apparently the tubers are weakend by the chitting process, and are not in tip top condetion going into the ground. I think I would prefer a higher yield, instead of potatoes a week or so early.  I am happy to join the band of non-chitters.