Above, the Bluebell Trail, in Bull Run Regional Park, Fairfax County, VA, as of a couple of days ago. That has nothing to do with this post. It’s just well worth the visit, this time of year, if you’re in Northern Virginia.
On to business.
Previously on the Great Potato Chit-Off …
Recall that I’m trying to test whether or not chitting (pre-sprouting) potatoes matters. I bought a bag each of grocery-store organic gold and red potatoes, and randomly assigned potatoes to chit and no-chit (a.k.a., fridge) groups. On St. Patrick’s day, in USDA Hardiness Zone 7, I planted 14 short rows of chitted potatoes (marked with orange flags), interspersed with 14 rows of un-chitted potatoes (no flags).
Today’s score: Chits 13, non-chits 1.
That is, potato sprouts are visible in 13 of 14 rows of chitted potatoes, and in 1 of 14 rows of unchitted potatoes. Above, I have circled the sprouts showing in three chitted and three un-chitted rows.
That’s a remarkably unambiguous result, given the small overall sample size of about 60 potato pieces planted.
So, does chitting result in earlier above-ground emergence of potato sprouts? That’s a clear yes. Half or more of the chitted pieces now have sprouts above ground. By contrast, only one un-chitted potato has emerged.
See also:
Post G24-007: The Great Potato Chit-Off, 2024, and my rules for planting potatoes in the South.
