Chitting?

[Holly]

Hello grapes,

Could you give me some potato advice, please? Is chitting vital to successful growing? Do I need to do this to ensure a good harvest?

Also, I haven't tried using grow-bags before – apart from saving space, are there other benefits to using them? What are your favourite methods of growing potatoes?




Your comments may be published in the February edition of Grow Your Own

[Capsid]

Some studies have been done on this and for maincrops chitting appears to show no benefit for overall yield. Earlies however do appear to have improved yields if they are chitted.

I grow my spuds in traditional trenches filled with compost.

[jackie j]

I have always chitted my potaoes first, I have grown them in bags but not very successfully, The best year I had was a couple of years ago, I covered the space I was going to use with manure over winter, then dug it in before planting the seed potatoes, I had over 80lb that year.

[Alison]

I always chit but not at all it's necessary. It does however give early sown spuds a chance to develop away from any risk of frost before planting out a bit later. I have grown in tubs and in the ground and now much prefer using the ground as the yield is much better and I can just use the bed soil rather than carting compost etc about. I plant pretty deep so I don't need to do much earthing up then one big dig at the end of the season and spuds stored in sacks for the whole winter

[gojiberry]

I think it is always best to give potatoes a chance to chit. Some like charlotte you wont be able to prevent chitting but others don't seem to want to do anything before they get in the ground. Not 100% certain but seem to remember having difficulty chitting Sarpo varieties.

Ian

[stella]

I have chitted and grown in trenches but last year I put 3 non chitted potatoes in a pot and left them. Result more potatoes per seed than in the ground, maybe a fluke?

[Glutton4...]

I have always chitted my Potatoes so far. Having them in their trays all over the place, makes me feel like I have actually done something constructive, gardening-wise, and also makes me think spring is on it's way!

[Aberdeenplotter]

Hi Holly,

I'm a member of the National Vegetable Society and to be honest, I can't make up my mind about chitting from the point of view of achievable yield. It can certainly help to get an earlier crop which is why I do chit my exhibition potatoes but I'm inclined to think it doesn't matter a hoot otherwise.

If we have this sort of weather in the springtime, we may have no option but to chit. That pic taken this morning and still snowing

[Bren In Pots]

I chit mine because then I know which way up to plant them.

[tattieman]

Chitting does make cropping times quicker so it is usually a good thing to do.
If you want to make things grow even quicker you can start them off in little pots indoors and then transplant the whole plant outside into the ground later on. Should work a treat with the really late maincrops. You would have to make sure that you didn't pot them up too soon though. Ideal scenario would be chit them 6 weeks before you wish to plant them.

[Croila]

Chitting does make cropping times quicker so it is usually a good thing to do.
If you want to make things grow even quicker you can start them off in little pots indoors and then transplant the whole plant outside into the ground later on. Should work a treat with the really late maincrops. You would have to make sure that you didn't pot them up too soon though. Ideal scenario would be chit them 6 weeks before you wish to plant them.

Tattieman, I like this sound of this ... Can I just clarify, you mean chit them indoors then plant them into pots individually, then plant them out in the ground when the time's right? I'm wondering when the best time to start chitting earlies would be, please?

[tattieman]

That is the idea Croila. You could make make things grow quickly but they might take up more space indoors.

[salilah]

I tend to chit but not done a comparison - it just feels right! (though not when the builder moves all the eggboxes and labels separately, so I've no idea which is which).

Re bags, 2 years ago I had really good yields from bags - this year not so good, they got too dry, and with 36 bags it wasn't really possible to put each into a water tray, so a low yield

I like using the bags - it's controlled, easy to top up, easy to harvest and leaves the beds for other stuff - but that's just a personal preference!

Salilah

[Whatalottie]

I don't have anywhere to chit my earlies, a flat which is much too hot (service heating which we can't turn down any further). One of my friends planted his earlies in Feb. the year before last, and had very early potatoes. Would it work if I grew them on small pots instead of chitting them?

[Holly]

Thanks so much for all this good advice on the thread! Chitting is something that's always daunted me a little bit, as it seemed like there was some magic technique but I think I'll try to give it a go this year!