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emorems0

Seed potatoes sprouting too early?

emorems0
10 years ago

Okay, so they are store bought, organic red potatoes, not technically 'seed' potatoes in the sense that they aren't certified from a seed house.

I bought them a few weeks ago thinking I'd eat some and use some for seed potatoes but they sprouted in my cabinet much earlier than I expected. I can't plant them until the end of April in my zone. Should I just eat them and buy more? Or is there something I can do to slow down the growth and keep them from getting shriveled over the next 45 or so days?

I'm only planting about a pound of seed potatoes and I'm planting in a sort of raised bed/potato tower hybrid. It's my understanding that the sprouts should be grown in sunlight so they are green and strong and don't break easily like when they are grown in the dark. If I put these in my fridge, would that halt their growth? and then I could pull them out and put them in the sunlight for 2 weeks or so before I plant? Or... would it be best to just eat them and buy more?

Comments (12)

  • digdirt2
    10 years ago

    Why end of April? Potatoes are normally planted much earlier than that, even in your zone. They are a cool weather crop and will even tolerate light snows and frost once up and a hard frost if lightly covered. But it usually takes a couple of weeks for them to even get above ground. So look into planting them long before the end of April.

    In my zone they will be planted next week. There is some grain of truth to the old adage of potatoes should be in the ground before St. Patricks day. :)

    Dave

    PS: and yes they can be planted even when sprouted - that's why many pre-sprout their seed potatoes

  • emorems0
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I was just going by the dates on the farmer's almanac website for my zip code... I thought they were usually planted earlier, which is why I bought the potatoes when I did, but then I looked up the dates and figured they knew what they were talking about.

    When do you all plant potatoes? Any zone 5/6ers with potato planting experience?

    Oh, and my concern about them sprouting in the dark is that the sprouts are really fragile and break off easily. I wanted to put them in the sun a while to strengthen and green-up the sprouts but was worried about it being too early.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Farmers Almanac Spring Planting Dates (zip 15052)

  • seysonn
    10 years ago

    I plant them approx. 3 weeks before LF date.
    By the time they are up, probably the danger of frost is over. But in case when they are up and you get frost warning, You will have to cover them, otherwise they will be killed. One year that happened to me and I covered them but missed couple. They were zapped. This was back in GA. There, you have to plant as early as possible so that you harvest them before July heat. But if you have cooler summer weather , there is no need to rush it.

  • emorems0
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    My last frost date is May 2, so three weeks before that is ~April 11... still a far way off considering these have already sprouted. I'd have to figure out how to slow growth and store them for another month at least... I'm thinking it may be best to just eat them and buy more unless anyone has any ideas for storage. They are so nicely sprouted, it's a shame it's so early!

  • seysonn
    10 years ago

    I would Just cook those and eat them and buy fresh ones later, some time around April 1st.
    BTW: there is no special seed potatoes. Any potato can be planted, provided it is not chemically treated. So you can buy them from whole foods/organic section, to make sure that they will sprout.

  • emorems0
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Looks like ham and potato soup for dinner tonight! Thanks all! :)

  • digdirt2
    10 years ago

    Why not try keeping a few to plant in the 10-14 days and watch what happens. That results can go a long way toward learning when you can actually plant them in your zone next year.

    Dave

  • naturegirl_2007 5B SW Michigan
    10 years ago

    I second the 3 weeks or so before last frost date advice. Around here we would likely have to dig through snow and frozen soil to plant two weeks from now :) But we aren't zone 6a either!

    I've put sprouting potatoes near the window in a guest bedroom that is usually cool due to closed registers and they have kept short sprouts for several weeks. You might try that if you like the kind you have. But if you can easily get more of the variety later, you might as well go with soup tonight....Sounds yummy for a cold, last-day-of-February meal.

  • wayne_5 zone 6a Central Indiana
    10 years ago

    If potatoes are sprouting and you must save them for planting, get them into good light so they will green sprout and basically STOP getting those long white sprouts.

  • emorems0
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Well, I made the soup, but I didn't use all of the potatoes, and I found another bag in the back of my cabinet with a few sprouted tubers as well. I think I may try the cool, sunny window... we certainly have a lot of those with the frigid weather we're having. And yes, our soil is totally frozen and while I can see grass now for the first time in two months, they are calling for another 12 inches of snow this weekend. Not sure I'd be able to plant in two weeks even if I wanted to!

  • seysonn
    10 years ago

    Chitting or Greening:

    When potatoes sprout in the dark, they are white and long: NO GOOD FOR PLANTING. twist them off.

    Best way is to single layer them, like on the kitchen counter. The skin starts getting green (Thus the term greening), Then they start sprouting healthy greenish sprouts. Now that is worth planting. BUT the sprouts should be no longer than 1". Then you have to handle them carefully , not to break them.

    I prefer shorter sprouts with just some suggestion that they are growing.
    .

  • wayne_5 zone 6a Central Indiana
    10 years ago

    Good post seysonn.

    I like my sprouts strong and sturdy...more than wisp.

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