Potatoes
How to chit potatoes
The short answer
Stand seed potatoes in egg boxes or seed trays, eyes uppermost, somewhere cool, light and frost-free, from late January in mild areas to early March in colder ones. After four to six weeks the shoots are a few centimetres long and the potatoes are ready to plant. Chitting is worthwhile for earlies, to get them off to a head start; RHS says there is no real advantage for maincrops.
Chitting is optional, cheap and easy to get slightly wrong: in a dark corner the shoots come out white. How long the shoots should be is a question on which RHS gives three answers.
How to do it
Planting dates for your area: when to plant potatoes.
- Start in late January in milder areas, up to early March in colder spots.(RHS)
- Stand the tubers in egg boxes or seed trays, with the buds (eyes) uppermost.(RHS)
- Put them somewhere cool, bright and frost-free. Garden Organic prefers a north-facing windowsill, not above a radiator.(RHS, Garden Organic)
- Wait four to six weeks, until the shoots are a few centimetres long (the sources differ on exactly how long; see below).(RHS, Garden Organic)
- Plant when the weather is suitable.(RHS)
Why chit at all
- A head start for earlies. Not essential, but worthwhile.(RHS, Garden Organic)
- Unchitted earlies still grow perfectly well, they just take a few weeks longer to crop.(RHS)
- Chitting increases the seed potato’s “physiological age”, giving quicker growth and earlier maturity.(RHS)
- A dark corner gives white shoots.(Garden Organic)
- Not sprouted yet? Seed potatoes can wait in a cool, dark place until you are ready.(Garden Organic)
Where the sources differ
| Question | RHS | Garden Organic and other RHS pages |
|---|---|---|
| How long the shoots should be | Grow-your-own guide: about 5cm. | RHS feature: about 3cm. RHS family activity: 2cm. Garden Organic: 2cm. |
| Chit maincrops? | Grow-your-own guide: no real advantage, as they grow over a much longer period. | RHS family activity sprouts maincrops before planting; Garden Organic: not essential except for earlies. |
| Rub off shoots? | RHS feature: rub off all but the strongest four on earlies; none on second earlies or maincrops. | Garden Organic: only if you want large baking potatoes, leaving three or four. |
| When to start | Grow-your-own guide: late January to early March, by area. | RHS family activity: February. |
Plant, then keep the record
Add your potatoes to Vercro with the bed they are in. It keeps the record, and Today shows what they need next.
Keep going
Where this comes from
The growing advice on this page comes from the published sources below, each linked beside the point it supports. Where two good sources disagree, we show both rather than choosing the convenient one. Reviewed 19 September 2026.
- Potatoes: grow your own, Royal Horticultural Society. Read 19 September 2026.
- Growing potatoes: secrets of success, Royal Horticultural Society. Read 19 September 2026.
- Chit early potatoes (family activity), Royal Horticultural Society. Read 19 September 2026.
- Potatoes, Garden Organic. Read 19 September 2026.
- It's time to chit your potatoes (news), Garden Organic. Read 19 September 2026.