Chitting
This is done to potatoes. You get your (certified virus free)
seed potatoes from a reputable source, and stick them rose end (most of the eyes/buds are in the rose end) somewhere warmish and light (but not actually sunny), to get the eyes to develop shoots.
Seed potatoes look like small normal potatoes gone off, but don’t worry, you don’t eat them. They produce your crop and die off. After 6-8 weeks they are ready to be planted out in rich, heavily manured trenches. And you’ve had that
chitting time to prepare the
trench.
Early varieties should be chitted in February and planted out by end March, second earlies should be chitted in early March and planted out by mid April and maincrop should be chitted in later March and planted out by end April.
If you have lots of land then grow potatoes, if not, try them in a few huge pots (or tyres stacked). They are so easy to do, and so satisfying to eat, but take up loads of room that you may choose to use for other veg.
Cloche
A cover for a plant or
soil. A greenhouse, polytunnel or even a plastic bottle can all be called cloches, but they do the job of protecting from wind, rain, frost and
pests.
Cloches can be made of fleece, netting, plastic, glass and can be big or small.
Keeping the big plastic bottles from pop-drinks, and the tubs that supermarket doughnuts come in means you have a ready supply of free plant cloches.
Cold Frame
An enclosure, which is covered with glass or plastic, used to create a greenhouse effect for young plants.