potato chitting question

[joolshuck]

Hi all,
I have not grown potatoes before, and I have a query. I am currently chitting three varieties and I am a bit concerned about the Vivaldi ones.They are sprouting ok, but unlike the others they have gone a bit soft and wrinkly. Are they going to be ok? Any advice to this novice welcomed.
Jools

[Two_Sheds]

they'll be fine, don't have them too warm

[BUFFS]

Hi all,
I have not grown potatoes before, and I have a query. I am currently chitting three varieties and I am a bit concerned about the Vivaldi ones.They are sprouting ok, but unlike the others they have gone a bit soft and wrinkly. Are they going to be ok? Any advice to this novice welcomed.
Jools

as has been said ,they will be fine ,as for chitting, i stopped doing that some years ago,all it does is advance the growth of the tatty,i found that by chitting some and not doing some others (same pack of seed tatties) that the non-chitted ones gave me a bigger crop,even though they were grown in exactly the same way,and after redoing it ,to prove it to my wife, we got the same result,so its great for earlies,it will speed up the cropping...whatever way you go,just enjoy the fruits of your labour....

[jojo2910]

If you do decide to chit should the environment be cool and light or cool and dark? Or something else?

[scarletrunner]

Some growing guides say that spraying seed potatoes with water helps rehydration.

[chris]

If you do decide to chit should the environment be cool and light or cool and dark? Or something else?

Cool, and light. If they're kept in the dark they'll throw out white shoots - which you need to rub off and re-chit in the light.. they'll then be dark purple and green. Put them rose end up (end with the most "eyes"). There is talk about taking out all the eyes bar 3/4 - but I never do

[Kristen]

as for chitting, i stopped doing that some years ago

I'm curious to know what you do instead?

My seed potatoes arrive a good 6 weeks before I am likely to plant them.

[Two_Sheds]

I'm curious to know what you do instead?

My seed potatoes arrive a good 6 weeks before I am likely to plant them.

You could keep them in the salad drawer of the fridge - that's where I keep my keepers, the best from my current crop, for 5-6 months before replanting

[Kristen]

How do you know when they are "sprouty" enough? :-s

Chitting is just starting the tuber growing - breaking its dormancy. You can plant them when you like, even the day you get them (e.g. if you ordered them, or they arrived, late).

Chitting will bring forward the harvest date a bit - because growth has already started before you plant them out. It probably makes a difference of a week for First Early spuds, so no huge difference if you just stick the spuds in the ground when they arrive - and chitting probably makes less or no difference to harvest date for Second / Main Crop varieties.

So when it comes time to plant them, then plant them

A key reason for chitting, in my opinion, is that they have to be stored somewhere from when you get them to when you plant them. It seems that companies ship them much earlier than they used to (costs them money to store them in cold-storage I suppose ...)

You could put them in the fridge to stop them growing, but if they have already been somewhere warm (the Garden Centre for example) dormancy will have been broken and a fridge isn't going to stop them growing - and without light they will grow weak, brittle, long white shoots.

So my view is to just chit them in a cool, light place and I don't worry about whether they are chitted "enough" when I plant them (or even whether it brings the crop forward much either to be honest - I can't combat the weather to speed them up either!)

[joolshuck]

thanks

As always, some really informative and helpful answers.
Thanks to all.

[Gardenwitch]

Thanks for the advice here, thinking of planting mine next weekend.

[Two_Sheds]

Our school ones have been planted, in grow bags in a sheltered courtyard. I popped some Pink Fir Apple in at the lotty today too