How to 'chit' seed potatoes before planting

It's a fact: potatoes grown at home taste so much better than ones bought in a supermarket.

Whether you're new to the growing process or you're a green-fingered expert, it's important to know about 'chitting'. Yes - you read it correctly (that's a 'c', not an 's'!).

Early variety seed potatoes can be sprouted inside before you plant them in the ground - a process known as chitting. By chitting before planting, you encourage the crop to start growing, which should give you earlier and higher yields. Chitting also creates stronger and more resilient sprouts, which makes them less susceptible to disease, such as devastating potato blight.

You can start to chit from around the end of January into February.

Chitting equipment

• Seed potatoes, which you can buy from your local garden centre, like Sunnyside Scotland

• Egg boxes

• Labels

Simple step-by-step chitting instructions

1. Identify the 'rose end' of the potato where the sprouts will grow from the eyes. This is the blunt side of the potato - the opposite side to the heel, or the narrow end.

2. Place the potatoes with the rose ends facing up in an egg box or seed tray, in a single layer. Label each variety of potato.

3. Keep the potatoes a light, airy cool, but frost-free space, like a potting shed or greenhouse. An unheated room would work fine - too warm and the temperature won't match the soil you evenutally plant them in.

4. The sprouts should be short and a greeny purple colour. The potatoes needs more light if the sprouts grow long and white.

5. After around four to six weeks, when the sprouts have reached 2cm in length, the potatoes are ready for planting.

6. Plant your potatoes early to mid-spring when the soil has warmed up to about 6°C. For larger potatoes, remove all but three or four sprouts before planting. For smaller potatoes, leave all the shoots on the potato.