Zero potato harvest

[Dillbert]

first one needs to think about potato diseases. see "Irish Potato Famine" for more info.

potatoes from the store have zero.zip assurance they are disease free.

potatoes from the store have likely been treated with an anti-sprouting compound.

so you're putting a bunch of effort into starting potatoes from questionable disease situation, which have been artificially / chemically treated to not do what nature intended them to do.

what could possibly go wrong . . .

I buy certified disease free seed potatoes; I chop them up, allow cut surfaces to dry for 2-3 days, plunk them in the dirt.

not sure where the "thou shalt make potatoes with rootlets" thing came from, but it is completely unnecessary.

[rainbowgardener]

Well, I only use store bought potatoes. I do not put them in water. Most often if I just leave them in the (cool, dark) drawer long enough they start sprouting. If that doesn't work, I put them on the counter in the light. Once they have sprouted a bit, I cut them up and plant them.

Some grocery store potatoes may have been treated not to sprout. Last year I bought some Yukon Gold potatoes at the grocery, thinking it would be cool to grow them. Never could get any to sprout. But definitely not all grocery store potatoes. Most of your run of the mill cheap bagged potatoes sprout just fine (whether or not I want them to!).

My grocery store potatoes have been growing and blooming like crazy!

[jnunez918]

If you have to use the grocery store, try to find an organic source. They probably won't be sprayed but you still can't count on disease free.

[Ohio Tiller]

I have dug all of mine now and I got alot of potatoes but they were smaller this year than years before (NO RAIN) I watered as much as I could but the hose just does not do the same as rain does.

I have canned 3/4 of them. This was one weekend of canning potatoes, green beans, carrots, and sweet corn.

[img]https://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j176/Johnfor3/2012-07-30_13-47-17_282.jpg[/img]

[applestar]

Lots of good advice. I grow from grocery store organic potatoes too, but I usually also buy named variety seed potatoes and plant them in separate beds just in case the store potatoes are carrying something nasty. You have to just keep the possibility in mind and be prepared for disappointment if it doesn't work out.

About suspending in water -- I believe that is one method for growing SWEET potato slips(shoots). Regular potatoes prefer to stay dry or just barely humid (not even moist) and will sprout in temps above... I'm thinking 55°F though it may be 50°F. I tried putting cut pieces in the garage in March one year and it was way too cold out there -- the still-whole extra seed potatoes in brown paper bag in the pantry that I wasn't sure where to plant sprouted before the cut up seed potatoes in the garage.

@Ohio Tiller, I didn't know some people canned potatoes -- obviously in pressure canner, I'm sure. How do they turn out? Are they firm or soft like frozen potatoes? What do you typically do with them?

[Ohio Tiller]

Lots of good advice. @Ohio Tiller, I didn't know some people canned potatoes -- obviously in pressure canner, I'm sure. How do they turn out? Are they firm or soft like frozen potatoes? What do you typically do with them?

I have been canning all my potatoes now for several years! They are firm about like when you boil them for mashed potatoes.
Flavor is better than one right out of the ground.
I do mine 2 different ways cubed and sliced. The cubed I use for use about anything you would use potatoes for I prefer to just heat them with butter and Parsley!
The sliced ones I use for frying breakfast taters they make the best home fries you ever had. I ended up with 75 qts. of potatoes this year I was shooting for 100 but they just did not get as big this year with no rain.

[applestar]

Sounds good!
Hmm... Another reason to get a pressure canner
Thanks!

[Ohio Tiller]

Sounds good!
Hmm... Another reason to get a pressure canner
Thanks!

I have three of them and asking for a bigger one for christmas.