If you are planting potatoes for the first time or want to harvest large ones, you will need to chit the potatoes before planting them. Chitting is the act of forcing potatoes to sprout several weeks before you plant them. This will speed up the growth process and produce bigger potatoes. Prepare the potato seeds and place them in a cool, bright place for a few weeks. After sprouting, you can plant them in warm soil.
Step
Part 1 of 2: Preparing Potato Seeds
Step 1. Determine the time to chit
After chitting, potatoes may take 4 to 6 weeks before they are ready to be planted. This gives the potato seeds a chance to sprout and start growth. At this point, you can plant the potato seedlings in warm soil. People usually chitting potatoes in January or February so that the potatoes can be planted in March or April, when the soil temperature reaches around 10 °C.
Check the calendar or check with an agricultural expert in your area to find out when the soil is warm enough to be suitable for growing potatoes
Step 2. Buy potato seeds
Potato seeds are potato seeds that are specifically sold for planting, not for cooking or eating. You can buy them in bulk at a farm shop or order the type you want on the internet. Unlike store-bought potatoes, potato seeds are not sprayed with chemicals and do not contain viruses.
If you are chitting organic potatoes or potatoes that are sourced directly from the farmer, keep in mind that these potatoes may contain viruses that can inhibit their growth
Step 3. Collect potatoes from last year's crop (optional)
If you have leftover potatoes from last year's harvest, you can chitting them for planting now. If there are no potatoes left, don't forget to leave some potatoes from this year's harvest for planting next year.
Step 4. Arrange the potato seeds in an upright position
Prepare egg cartons, then place one potato seed in each hole of the carton. The bud (the small indentation where the potato sprouts appear) should be facing up and the base against the cardboard. The base of the potato is the flat (non-pointed) end where the potato attaches to the plant.
If you don't have an egg carton, use any container that has a divider to give the potatoes some space. It is very important to provide sufficient space for air to circulate between each potato seed
Part 2 of 2: Saving and Growing Potato Seeds
Step 1. Store the egg carton containing the potatoes in a cool, bright room
Place the container with the potato seeds in a cool place, but get lots of light. Try to choose a room that has a temperature of around 10 °C that will force the potato seedlings to sprout. You can place it on a patio or garage that gets a lot of light.
Do not place potato seeds in a dark or very cold location as this can prevent the seeds from sprouting
Step 2. Wait about 4 to 6 weeks for the potatoes to sprout
Give the potato seeds time to sprout small shoots. After 4 to 6 weeks have passed, each potato will develop several strong, green shoots. Once the shoots have reached a length of about 2 to 3 cm, the potato seeds are ready for planting.
Shoots will appear from each eye in the potato seed
Step 3. Remove excess shoots
If you want to grow large potatoes, take the potato seeds and remove most of the shoots. Leave 3 or 4 of the largest and strongest shoots. Any remaining shoots will grow into large potatoes.
If you want to harvest small potatoes, do not remove excess shoots that grow on the potato seedlings
Step 4. Plant the potato seeds with the sprouts on top
Once the soil temperature reaches a consistent 10 °C, you can plant the seeds. You can plant the seeds whole or cut them into pieces so that each piece has a bud. Plant each potato or sprout about 3 to 8 cm deep with the shoots on top. The seeds should be planted with a distance of about 30 to 45 cm between each plant.
