Timeframe to plant after cutting up seed potatoes

[SLC]

Once I cut up my seed potatoes:

What is the LEAST amount of time to wait until I plant?

What is the MOST amount of time I can wait to plant?

Also, is there good information on how potatoes grow? Like, is it the eyes that produce the tubers and how many potatoes grow off of those, and what makes the plant above ground?

[jal_ut]

Lots of questions..........

OK, here are the potatoes I took out to plant.

[img]https://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/plant_potato2.jpg[/img]

I just cut them with one or two eyes on a piece and planted them. No waiting around. I guess you can wait a day if you want to. Some suggest you let them dry a while. I never have.

[img]https://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/plant_potato.jpg[/img]

These went in about 3 inches deep.

[img]https://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/potato_big.jpg[/img]

This is what you may expect from that planting. Of course your harvest is subject to a lot of factors.

[jal_ut]

If you look at the sprouts on the tubers, you will see the roots and the shoot that comes up and makes the leaves. Each eye makes one new plant. The piece of tuber you plant feeds the sprout until the leaves emerge, then just shrivels up. The new tubers form at the junction of the roots to the sprout. You can see this in the pic of the harvest. In the same pic you can see that there are two stems. That means there was two eyes on the piece of tuber that was planted. Hope this helps you understand what is happening with potatoes?

[rainbowgardener]

The eye sprouts a stem which becomes the plant. The plant makes more roots which sprout tubers (potatoes) from the roots.

[img]https://www.siemersfarm.com/ed_images/How_Potatoes_Grow.jpg[/img]

[SLC]

Thank you guys so much!!! This has been very informative! I really appreciate your help!

[kymailman98]

I like to cut my seed potatoes up 2-3 days before planting. I have planted them a month after I cut them up. I know some people who plant them immediately after cutting, and seem to have good luck. My experience is that gardening is different year to year.

[mscratch]

I am one of those who cut and plant also and have seen no significant difference whether they are allowed to "harden off" for a few days or plant the same day.

[farmerlon]

Just looking at that "How to Grow" chart above, and a 3-foot spacing between plants seems like a lot!
Between rows, OK, but that just seems like wasted space at 3' per plant.

I think my Potato plants are usually spaced about 18" apart (maybe up to 24" max).
What's your typical Potato spacing?

[jal_ut]

32 inch rows, 12 inch spacing in the rows.