Chitting Hell

[Lamboluke]

To give you some idea of how long potatoes take to produce greenery, which may then be damaged by frost, this is what I did last year in York. All plantings were in the garage to start with unless indicated otherwise.

5 March Pentland Javelin (early) planted in bag - foliage visible by 14 April
27 March Pentland Javelin planted in bags - foliage visible 21 April (note the shorter growing time)
both these bags were earthed up to the top and foliage reappeared on 23rd and 26th April, when the bags were moved outside, needing frost protection.
14 March Charlotte (2nd early) planted in a dustbin inside an old wooden compost bin, very well insulated by other containers. Planted about 2ft deep and the lid was put on the bin. Leaves appeared by 29 April.
25 March Charlotte planted in an old water butt next to the dustbin, again about 2ft deep. Foliage appeared by 29 April.
31 March Desiree (maincrop) planted in bags. Foliage visible and ready to move outside by 19 -23 April.
12 April Sarpo Mira (maincrop) planted outside in raised bed. Foliage visible by 7th May.
In a very warm spring I got away with hardly having to protect the plants at all, but I keep a large amount of fleece and bubble wrap for that purpose if necessary. So far I haven't had any plants damaged using this method. In the cold spring of 2013 I waited until early April to plant the potatoes and the foliage appeared by the start of May.

Might sound like a daft question but is planting seed potatoes in bags in the garage like sowing a seed in compost inside? As in as soon as there is foliage then it requires light.
Thanks

[veggiechicken]

Exactly the same, Lambo. If you don't move them into the light they'll go leggy and yellow.

[Kristen]

Although ... you can put 4" of compost in the bottom of the bag, put in the seed potatoes (depends on the size of the bag, but I normally only plant 3 per bag), then put 4" of compost on that. Maybe roll the top down to make that job easier.

When the foliage appears add more compost until the bag is full - then when the leaves appear they will have to go out for some light.

Going by Penellype's timeline that's going to give you 4 - 6 weeks before they need "light"

Some advice on growing Potatoes in bags here:
Growing Potatoes in Bags

[Martin H]

I like to earth up the potato stem underneath the foliage so that the plants can use the light to grow. The only time I'll cover up the foliage with soil is if the weather is frosty. Growing in a bag or pot there are other ways to keep the frost off so I'll never have to cover the foliage at all.

[Penellype]

Might sound like a daft question but is planting seed potatoes in bags in the garage like sowing a seed in compost inside? As in as soon as there is foliage then it requires light.
Thanks

Yes, that's right. If you leave them without light once they show above the compost they will go leggy and yellow just like other plants deprived of light.

[pigletwillie]

I have experimented in the past and the chitted potatoes were no different in yield to the unchitted ones. Things like spacing, weather and availability of water have much more effect on your yield than chitting does. Whilst its a practice that people seem to enjoy, I personally dont bother and neither does my local farmer who grows several hundred acres of them, and to whom yield is everything.

[Kristen]

I have experimented in the past and the chitted potatoes were no different in yield to the unchitted ones.

I agree, no difference to yield

For me its about:

1) the harvest date for earlies. Mine are ready sooner if chitted. Makes no difference to Mains, with their longer growing season.

2) what to do with them if not chitted? Left in the dark here they would grow long shoots that would break off when I plant them (and further delay sprouting of the seed tubers). Farmer has his in a nice cold store, so they don't sprout before he plants them. I don't have one of those, sadly!

[Bill HH]

My seed potatoes were delvered at the end of january, chitting for me is just a way of keeping them until planting time. if you cant keep them cool they will start chitting anway and better let them do it in an open tray than in the original bag.
Last year i planted all my spuds on the 28th Feb in containers in the green house, earlies, mids and lates. They went outside when i needed the space for tomatoes. The term early, late etc describes how quickly they grow to maturity not when you need to plant them. I am in Devon close to the sea and dont expect late frosts if any.