When to start chitting potatoes

[snooky]

I will chit my earlies,Arran Pilot, ready to plant out in March but not too fussed about chitting my Romano which I will plant about the same time.I find that it doesn"t make much difference chittng maincrop potatoes-or not.

[AnneThomas]

I chitted my potatoes on the kitchen window last year, but I have subsequently read that they ought to be put in the dark. What's everyone's views on that please?

[Geoff]

Light but cool.
Even if they don't really need chitting I think they are better where you can inspect them easily and keep them separated so you might as well chit them, after all nobody has said it makes them worse.

[AnneThomas]

Don't worry my kitchen is cool I'm having difficulty getting any room warm today

[Johnboy]

Dear Anne,
I think that to keep them in the black, as mentioned in earlier postings, means not to start chitting at present.
The whole idea of chitting is to introduce the growing eyes on the Potato to the light to induce some green growth.
Certainly potatoes will chit in the dark but the resulting white shoots are of poor quality resulting generally in a poor crop.
I chit my Maris Bard but do not start until the begining of March. I no longer grow maincrop Potatoes because they are grow commercially on my plot. Commercially the seed Potatoes are showing eyes but are never chitted as such.
I have grown the odd Pink Fir Apple, which are a maincrop, but I have never put them out to chit. I simply put them in mostly not even showing an eye and they have always done well.
JB.

[AnneThomas]

Thank you Johnboy. I did wonder whether the shoots would be a bit spindly if they were chitted in the dark.

None of my seed potatoes have arrived yet - which seems to be a good thing considering some of the comments on the forum. I have order 1st early Anais, 2nd early British Queen and maincrop Bintje - none of which seem to have been mentioned on this site so we shall see what they are like. The earlies will be grown in pots so I guess I could get them in if I had shelter but I don't think there is any great panic. I rarely start anything much until March as we usually go on holiday the last two weeks in February.

[snooky]

Evening Anne,
I grew British Queen last year.I had a good crop but be warned if you try and boil them they go to mush,steam them, and better still they make excellent roasters.

[Gerry]

Hi Anne,

British Queen are grown extensively around here, by both farmers and amateur growers. They are a lovely floury potato but as Snooky says steam them and don't boil them or they tend to go to mush. The traditional way here is to steam them in their jackets. They are then put into a bowl and covered with a folded tea towel. I don't know why but this seems to enhance them.

Hope you enjoy them.
Regards, Gerry.

[Monika]

About British Queen: we grew them some years ago and found them quite strange to cook. I always steam, never boil, our potatoes so they didn't fall to pieces but when I peeled them (after steaming) they seemed to have "two skins", one the normal outer skin and then another layer of potato before getting to the normal potato flesh. Quite odd.

[Gerry]

Monika,
I have never come across that (two skins) and we eat them regularly.
Regards, Gerry.

[AnneThomas]

Thank you Snooky and Gerry - I will try and remember your advice. I usually do boil potatoes so maybe will have to get into steaming them. So if you steam them in their jackets do you eat them in their jackets. It's good to try different ones I think.

And I will watch out for the double skins Monica

[Gerry]

Hi Anne, Whether you eat British Queens in or out of skins is entirely up to you. Around here people tend to skin them first but I think that only stems from the days when farmers used to feed all the farm hands and cook them by the bucketfull. I don't suppose that they were too careful with the scrubbing then. From my experience they are fine either way.
Regards, Gerry.