Absolutely! In fact, some people deliberately sprout them before planting.

Just try to avoid breaking off those roots as you plant.

Sue

My composting my kitchen & garden wastes .... GROW! I have the nicest potatoes each Fall from the composted potato peelings ... must have some viable small 'eyes' left. I didn't know good size 'taters would grow from just peelings?!

We had ordered seed potatoes (which arrived) but, when the day to plant arrived, found that one of the potatoes in our 5-lb kitchen bag of spuds had sprouted 4- to 5-inch roots. So it went into the potato box as well!

Now the "volunteer" potato plants are the fastest growing in the box. After only two weeks (yes, we planted late, but we planted when we could...), these "volunteer" Russets (?) are 14 inches tall. Whoa.

So, go with those volunteers as well as the potatoes you PLANNED on planting.

Cynthia

When you see sprouts on the potatoes, they are not roots. They are the start of the leaf growth. They are feeding off the flesh of the potato. If you remove the sprouts before planting, they will grow new but will take a little longer.

My middle schooler is working on a science fair project.
Do potatoes grow just as well with incandescent light as natural light? No seed potatoes available. Can he plant
sprouted red potatoes I have in pantry? So far he has cut two potatoes in half and planted in 4 clay pots, watering thoroughly. Will any potato leaves be visible above ground in 4 weeks? When temps drop below 40F at night, should pots in natural light be brought inside?
Patty

I purchased potatoes in bags for planting (seed). They had sprouts up to 6 inches long. The ptoatoes are small and shriveled up. I buried them completely in about 3 inces of good composted soil. Will they grow? Am I making a mistake by buring the sprouts? How do you know if thier alive?