Chitting Potatoes

My daughter thinks this terminology is hilarious and sees it as a perfect opportunity to sneak in a ‘bad’ word and get away with it. Anyway, here‘s what you do: Store the seed tubers in a light, cool (10°C), frost free spot and leave them to sprout. This is known as chitting. Egg boxes make good chitting trays. Make sure you put the tubers with the ‘eye’ end (where the sprouts will grow from) upwards. Dig in well-rotted manure or garden compost (apply no more than one wheelbarrow-full of well-rotted strawy manure, or two of compost, per 10 sq metres of ground). Plant tubers into trenches or in individual holes, 7-15cm in depth, cover with soil. See spacings below: 1st early – 28-36cm apart, 38-50cm between rows. 2nd early & maincrop – 36-45cm apart, 65-75cm between rows. Potato planting can start from mid March in milder areas, where frost is rare. If the soil is slow to warm, wait until April or May, or protect early plantings with fleece or cloches. If you need organic seed potatoes we have: Colleen, Duke of York, Nicola, Setanta and Sharpes Express for sale on the website. .