Planting time also depends on the type of potato. Earlies mid to late
March, maincrop April is my usual timetable. Chitting takes a little
while and the usual recommendation is sprouts about an inch long. Not
all gardeners recommend chitting so it's perhaps not too critical? Frost
is an issue. Last year we had frost 1st week April (Derbyshire)and it
burnt my potato tops in spite of piling up the soil - which didn't quite
cover them at this stage of growth. They recovered but I suspect it
affected the crop. A few fellow allotment holders also lost their runner
beans, so obviously too early for these. This year I'm covering with
fleece until the end of April. Last recorded frost in Derbyshire I
believe is 20th May - or so I've been told.

wrote:
Spud newbie seeks advice on planting timetable.

I was planning on buying some seed potatoes now and starting them off
"chitting", with the idea being to plant out in early March.
Some questions:
* How long does chitting take?
* Is early March too soon to plant, because of the danger of frost
damage? Location is Yorkshire.

Thanks,
Bruce