How to Grow Your Seed Potatoes
The ‘Chitting’ Process
The reason for chitting potatoes is that you start the growing process off before planting your seed potatoes. Once you plant them in the soil, you have given them a head start, leading to an earlier harvest and a slightly better crop as well.
Spread out your seed potatoes in an open top shallow box or egg carton with the seed end pointing up. The seed end has little dimples in the tuber and from there the sprouts will emerge and the strongest sprouts will form. Potatoes will start sprouting when exposed to light and heat so place them in a temperature of 8C-10C , in a frost-free environment, for 2 to 3 weeks. A kitchen window, porch, or sunroom is ideal. This way, the sprouts will grow stocky, sturdy and dark green.
You can plant as soon as the chits are ½ in.-1 in.long. If you have to postpone planting because of weather or some other reason, move them to a cooler place, to slow down their growth.
Potato Varieties
First Early Potatoes
The traditional ‘new’ potato. Plant up from the end of February to end of May. These potatoes are ideal for growing in bags or containers and are ready to harvest approximately 10 weeks from planting date. First early potatoes will benefit from chitting prior to being planted.
Tubers should be planted 6 ins deep in well manured soil with 12 inch spacings between each tuber. If you are planting rows of potatoes, leave 24 inch spacings between each row. Create a low ridge of soil, approx 6 inches over the planted tubers.
Second Early Potatoes
Plant up from mid March to end of May. Second early potatoes are usually ready for harvesting approximately 13/14 weeks after planting. Like first earlies, second early potatoes are best eaten straight out of the ground and will keep stored in the ground for up to a month after maturity. Ideal for growing in bags or containers and are generally best if you wish to grow small new potatoes. Planting instructions are the same as for first earlies.
Maincrop Potatoes
Plant up from March to end of May. Maincrop varieties will produce larger potatoes and are ready to harvest approximately 20 weeks after planting and will benefit from initial chitting prior to planting. Tubers should be planted 6 inches deep, with 15 inches between each tuber and row spacings of 30 inches.
Growing potatoes in Raised Beds
The rules for planting in raised beds are basically same. Raised beds will allow tubers to be planted in fresh compost each year and because the beds are above ground level, they are usually quicker to warm up and retain less heavy rain and moisture. Raised beds are much easier to maintain than open ground and give your garden an aesthetic look, particularly if you have a row of raised beds.
