Instructions for Chitting Potatoes (Greensprouting)

Greensprouting, also called chitting or presprouting, wakes seed potatoes from dormancy before planting. It adds a step before planting, but it pays off in several ways:

• Plants come up sooner, so seed pieces are less likely to rot in the soil.
• Harvest comes earlier, often by up to two weeks.
• Where seasons are short, you can grow varieties that otherwise might not mature in time.
• Harvests are spread out if you greensprout only part of each variety.

Greensprouting prompts the eyes of seed potatoes to start forming short sprouts.

Chitting seed potatoes, step by step

Step 1

Step 1: Spread whole seed potatoes in airy crates or boxes

Put whole seed potatoes into ventilated boxes or plastic crates, no more than two layers deep. Stacking the containers is fine, provided air can move freely around them.

Step 2

Step 2: Move the containers to a warm room.

Put them in a warm room (65–70°F/18–21°C) with ordinary indoor light and high humidity. A greenhouse works well if it doesn't overheat, and nearly any warm place in the house will do.

Step 3

Keep the tubers dry, since wet potatoes can rot. If they start to shrivel, a standard room humidifier will bring the humidity back up.

Step 4

Step 4: Once sprouts reach about ⅛", return the potatoes to a cool spot.

Leave the tubers in the warm spot for one to two weeks, until the eyes begin to sprout, turning them now and then so they sprout evenly. Once the sprouts are about ⅛" long, return the potatoes to a cool room (50°F/10°C) with ordinary light. There the sprouts will turn green and lengthen to roughly ¼–½".

Step 5

Keep the tubers at 50°F/10°C until you plant. Then cut and plant as you normally would, handling them gently so the sprouts stay attached.

Learn More

• Potato Production • PDF tech sheet