23 March 2017 Chitting Potatoes Posted on March 23, 2017 by Durgan 23 March 2017 Chitting Potatoes. 23 March 2017 Chitting Potatoes Sixteen Red Russet and eighteen Brown Russet potatoes were purchased from a supermarket and prepared for chitting in soil. Experience has indicated that soil chitting makes for a very strong root system prior to planting outdoors about 1 June in my Zone 5. Planting in June inhibits the infestation of the Colorado Potato Beetle, since they have nothing to lay eggs on, when they first emerge from the soil in the Spring. The potato growth is not reduced much since they are growing in the pots. Expectation is four pounds plus of new tubers from each plant for a total weight of 136 pounds, which meets my storage requirements. At maturity my potatoes store for six months in my basement root cellar.
Not one of the supermarket potatoes sprouted. 5 April 2017. They all rotted and were discarded. It must be some strong anti sprouting compound used. Now I question as to whether they are even safe to eat. So much for that experiment.
