When March arrives, one of the most satisfying rituals for any kitchen gardener is getting the seed potatoes ready through a process called “chitting.” Essentially, this means encouraging the tubers to sprout before they ever come into contact with the soil. While it isn’t strictly mandatory, giving your potatoes this little head start tends to result in a much earlier harvest and a more robust crop.

The process is remarkably simple and doesn’t require any fancy equipment. Start by sourcing high-quality, certified disease-free seed potatoes rather than using old ones from the supermarket. You’ll want to find a cool, light, frost-free spot, like a windowsill. The goal is to encourage short, sturdy, dark green or purple shoots rather than the long, pale, spindly ones you find on forgotten potatoes in the back of a cupboard.

A classic gardener’s trick is to use egg cartons to hold the tubers steady. Stand each potato upright in a compartment with the “rose end”—the end with the most small indentations or “eyes”—facing upwards. This is where the majority of the shoots will emerge. Over the next few weeks, you’ll see small buds begin to swell and transform into tough little “chits.”

Once these shoots are about an inch long, the potatoes are ready for planting out in the garden or in large containers. If you find too many shoots have formed, some gardeners prefer to rub off all but the strongest two or three to ensure the plant’s energy is concentrated, resulting in larger individual potatoes.