Chit potatoes under cover to give a "flying start"

17:41 29th January 2009

Gardeners keen to have their gardens and greenhouses full of crops this year will already be preparing for the growing season.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) advises that carrying out a process known as chitting will give potatoes a "flying start", something that the Daily Telegraph also recently advised.

"Place your early potatoes on egg boxes or trays in a cool, frost-free shed 'rose' end up to allow the tubers to develop firm shoots," the newspaper said.

"Sprouts will form within a few weeks and help newly planted tubers race away when planted out in spring."

The RHS suggests gardeners keep the tubers out of direct sunlight and at a cool but not cold temperature - something to bear in mind if you are considering chitting in the greenhouse.

Gardeners who don't stock their own seed potatoes should act now or risk losing out on their favourite varieties. The RHS explained that popular tubers tend to sell out, especially the year after a dry summer.