To chit, or not to chit?

[Laura Hillier]

Hi all,

We are looking ahead to the new year and were wondering - do you chit your potatoes?

Answers may be edited and published in the February 2015 issue of Grow Your Own.

Laura

[Martin H]

I always chit my potatoes. I'm not sure it makes a big difference to the crop but it does let me thin out the shoots or to split larger tubers so that each piece has a strong shoot.

[lottie dolly]

I chit for various reasons,you can use the strongest growth first,and put the weaker ones two at a placing,makes better use of the ground,i also like to see something growing earlier in the year,it also means you have seeds started of ready to pop in the ground when weather permits,

[Guest]

There is something quite fun about chitting. It might not make a difference to growing but having these little wrinkly tubers with hairy like sprouty shoots dotted around the house.......

[arpoet]

I already have some saved tubers slowly chitting on top of the fridge/freezer. These will be going into pots, about Febuary, in the greenhouse for an early crop.

[alldigging]

I always chit!
It's nice to see them starting their magic in the depths of winter!

[Bren In Pots]

I find you have to buy the variety of potatoes you want early on so you might as well chit them.

[noviceveggrower]

I always chit my spuds. Its a sure sign growing season will nearly be upon us when there are trays of spuds dotted about the house.

[sparrow100]

Always chit. Then the strongest few spuds go in a bag or two for really early earlies. Like Bren in Pots says, you have to get in early for some spud varieties so you may as well.

There was an article in Kitchen Gardener earlier this year (other magazines are available ) about starting spuds in small pots and then planting those out & earthing up. I am a bit unconvinced by it, and I can be a bit ham-fisted with fragile plants, but might give it a go as I always have a few too many.

[Greenleaves]

Looks like I am the odd one out, I never bother as I am yet to establish if it makes any difference. I have tried both chitted and unchitted in the past and have found no discernible difference in the crop or indeed timing of

[Tripmeup]

I only chit if I have bought specific varieties that I need to source early...Gives me a sense of purpose of what to do with them until I can plant them!

[Penellype]

Bit confused here - how do you not chit potatoes? Personally I buy the varieties I want as soon as they appear at the garden centre, and then I put them in trays to chit because if I leave them in the bags they are sold in they will start growing and I am much more likely to break off the shoots when I try to get them out.

[veggiechicken]

Same as Penellype ^^^
Spread the spuds out and they grow small stocky chits - Nice!
Leave them in their bags and they grow long, spindly chits that tangle up with each other - Not Nice!
Controlled Chitting is the way for me

[Zelenina]

I don't think chitting is essential. If you have have unchitted spuds and the ground and weather are right for planting, you may as well plant them unchitted.

But as penllype and VC have said, usually you have to keep them for a while before planting, and if you don't chit them they will chit themselves, and form a tangled mess of long white sprouts pointing in all directions. And I think the white sprouts take energy from the seed potatoes, but the green ones are photosynthesising and making more energy.

I also like to do it for the sake of tradition. It's the way my dad always did it, and still does. My Slovak neighbours don't seem to bother. They just store them in their shed from the previous season and plant them whatever way they are, and they grow ok.

I've noticed from looking at sites for commercial growers that some varieties are recommended for pre-sprouting and some aren't. So I suppose for maximum yield on a large scale you'd want to check the recommendations for each variety.

[Bigmallly]

Nah, I don't bother, there is enough to do without having a table o' tatties cluttering the place. If they chit on their own accord then fair enough.