Chitting means standing seed potatoes rose-end up in a cool, bright, frost-free place for four to six weeks before planting, so they grow short, sturdy shoots and get a head start on the season. In the UK, most gardeners start chitting first and second early varieties from mid-January, ready for planting out from mid-March once the shoots are about 2cm long. Maincrop varieties benefit far less and are usually planted unchitted.
Timing and technique verified against Garden Organic and Met Office UK growing guidance by the SoilCommander Growing Team.
This page is a focused guide to chitting specifically. For planting depth, spacing, earthing up and harvest timing, see our full How to Grow Potatoes UK guide and When to Plant Potatoes UK timing reference.
What Does Chitting Mean?
"Chitting" is the traditional British term for pre-sprouting seed potatoes before planting. Instead of putting dormant tubers straight into cold spring soil, you encourage them to produce short green or purple shoots indoors first, in light but frost-free conditions. Those shoots mean the plant is already actively growing the moment it goes into the ground, rather than spending its first few weeks in soil breaking dormancy from scratch.
The practical benefit is time. A chitted first early potato can crop two to three weeks sooner than an unchitted one planted on the same date — useful in the UK's relatively short and unpredictable growing season, and especially valuable if you're racing to get a harvest in before blight risk rises in mid-to-late summer.
UK Chitting Timeline
| Task | UK Timing | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Buy seed potatoes | December – January | Certified virus-free seed potatoes go on sale from December; buy early for the best variety choice |
| Start chitting (first & second earlies) | Mid-January – early February | Around 6 weeks before your planned planting-out date |
| Chitting complete, ready to plant | Late February – March | Shoots 1.5–2.5cm, short and stubby, green or purple |
| Plant out first earlies | Mid-March – early April | Once soil reaches roughly 7°C and frost risk is easing |
| Maincrop (chitting optional) | Start late Feb if chitting at all | Longer growing season means the head-start matters far less |
How to Chit Seed Potatoes, Step by Step
- Stand tubers rose-end up. The "rose end" has the most eyes, clustered together — this is where the shoots will emerge. Place seed potatoes in empty egg boxes, small trays, or shallow seed trays with this end facing upward.
- Choose a cool, bright, frost-free spot. A porch, unheated spare room, cool windowsill or greenhouse bench all work. The goal is enough light to keep shoots short and sturdy — a dark shed or cupboard produces the opposite of what you want.
- Wait four to six weeks. Check periodically. You're aiming for shoots around 1.5–2.5cm long, thick and stubby, coloured green or purple rather than pale.
- Rub off excess shoots if needed. Leave 2–3 of the strongest shoots per tuber; rubbing off the rest concentrates the plant's energy into fewer, stronger stems and can produce larger (if slightly fewer) potatoes.
- Plant carefully once shoots are ready. Handle chitted tubers gently — the shoots snap off easily. Plant with shoots pointing upward, at the depth and spacing set out in our full growing guide.
Which Potato Types Benefit Most
Chitting matters most for first earlies (ready in as little as 10 weeks) and second earlies, where every extra week of head start meaningfully moves the harvest date forward. Maincrop potatoes already have a long growing season ahead of them regardless, so most UK growing guidance — Garden Organic included — treats chitting maincrop as optional rather than essential. If you're short on windowsill space in January, prioritise your earlies.
Best UK Varieties to Chit
Not every variety responds the same way, and knowing which are first, second early or maincrop makes the chitting decision straightforward:
- First earlies (chit for best results): Rocket, Swift, Foremost, Casablanca — ready in as little as 10 weeks, so the head start from chitting has the biggest practical payoff.
- Second earlies (chit for best results): Charlotte, Nadine, Kestrel — a slightly longer season than first earlies, but still worth the windowsill space.
- Maincrop (chitting optional): Maris Piper, King Edward, Desiree, Cara — these are in the ground long enough that a two-week head start makes little practical difference to the final harvest date.
Chitted vs Unchitted: What Actually Changes
It's worth being clear-eyed about what chitting does and doesn't do. It does not increase total yield in most trials, and it does not make a plant hardier against frost — a chitted shoot is just as vulnerable to a late cold snap as any other emerging potato foliage. What it reliably does is bring the harvest forward by roughly two to three weeks for early varieties, because the plant has already used its indoor time to get past the slowest part of waking up from dormancy. For gardeners chasing the earliest possible new potatoes, or trying to get a crop off the ground before blight pressure builds later in summer, that head start is the entire point.
If you forget to chit, or simply run out of time, don't worry — unchitted seed potatoes still grow into a completely normal, productive crop. You'll just be picking your first earlies a couple of weeks later than a neighbour who chitted theirs on the same planting date.
Chitting Without Egg Boxes
Egg boxes are the classic method because the individual cups hold each tuber upright and stop them rolling around, but they're not essential. Shallow seed trays, a wooden crate lined with newspaper, or even an old wine box all work equally well — the only real requirements are that tubers sit rose-end up, individually spaced so they don't touch, somewhere cool, frost-free and reasonably bright. Avoid stacking trays in a way that shades the tubers underneath, since low light is what causes the long, pale, leggy shoots that are the main thing to avoid.
Regional Timing Guide
South & South-East England
Start chitting from mid-January. Plant out first earlies from mid-March, once soil has warmed and the sharpest frosts have passed.
Midlands & Wales
Start chitting from late January. Plant out from late March to early April.
Northern England
Start chitting from early February. Plant out from early-to-mid April, watching local frost forecasts closely.
Scotland & Northern Ireland
Start chitting from early-to-mid February. Plant out from mid-to-late April, once the ground has properly warmed.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Chitting in a dark, warm place. Warmth without light produces long, pale, weak shoots that snap off easily during planting. Cool and bright beats warm and dark every time.
- Starting too early or too late. Chitting for much longer than six weeks produces overly long, tangled shoots; starting too late means missing the head-start advantage entirely. Time it backward from your planned planting date.
- Planting before frost risk has passed. A chitted potato is not a frost-hardy one — emerging foliage is still vulnerable. Have fleece ready to protect young shoots from a late cold snap.
- Rough handling at planting time. Chitted shoots break off easily. Plant gently, shoots facing up, and avoid dropping tubers into the trench.
- Bothering to chit maincrop varieties under time pressure. If windowsill space is limited, it's a reasonable trade-off to skip chitting maincrop and focus effort on earlies instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does chitting potatoes mean?
Chitting means standing seed potatoes rose-end up in a cool, bright, frost-free place for several weeks before planting, so they develop short shoots and start growing before they even go into the ground.
How long should you chit potatoes before planting?
Around four to six weeks, or until shoots reach roughly 1.5–2.5cm long. In the UK this typically means starting in mid-January to early February for planting out in March or April.
Do you have to chit potatoes before planting?
No — potatoes will grow perfectly well unchitted. Chitting is optional, but it typically brings first and second earlies to harvest two to three weeks sooner, which is where most of its value lies.
Can you chit potatoes too early?
Yes. Chitting for far longer than six weeks produces long, pale, leggy shoots that are fragile and easily damaged at planting. If shoots grow too long before you're ready to plant, rub off the weakest ones and keep the tubers cool to slow further growth.
Plan Your Whole Potato Season
The SoilCommander UK Vegetable Garden Planner includes chitting reminders, planting windows, and earthing-up schedules for potatoes and 40+ other crops.
Get the UK Garden Planner →Full growing instructions: How to Grow Potatoes UK · Exact sowing dates: When to Plant Potatoes UK · Browse all sowing dates in the UK vegetable planting calendar · Explore all UK vegetable growing guides
Last updated 21 July 2026