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Old February 24, 2009   #2
Tom Wagner
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Location: 8407 18th Ave West 7-203 Everett, Washington 98204
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Last week in conversation with member here was told to rinse potatoes, put them wet into a plastic ziploc and put in fridge to get the eyes to sprout. Is it too late for that? How do I cut them up... or do I?
It is usually not a good idea to wash potatoes. They don't keep as well as they seem to desiccate faster. Actually the potatoes are already sprouted enough looking at the pictures. The refrig will just prolong the sprouting process. I would not cut them up until planting time.


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When do I plant them?
You are in Missouri, and in neighboring Kansas where I spent most of my life, St. Patrick's Day is potato planting time. But anytime after that is OK, because the soil is still too cold to plant potatoes unless you want to get them in before the rains comes and never stops raining....
Cut seed potatoes are more apt to rot in cold soil.
I would just set the tubers in a somewhat sunlit area to green them up and keep the sprouts short and fat. Too little light will force the sprouts to grow long and spindly.
If you cut, I prefer to do it as soon as I plant and dust with a little lime. The extra calcium does wonders for growth and for internal qualities.

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What size cage?
Not sure why you want a cage, but it would prevent the wind from knocking them down during a near Tornado miss.

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Do I need to isolate the varieties if I want to save to plant next year?
I wouldn't worry about isolation. You know what you are growing and what you save back will be that variety. Different story with true seed.

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I'm embarrased to admit that I did not know potatoes produced seed that is used for planting. I had planned to save the tubers.
The term seed when referring to potatoes is always confusing to many. Seed potatoes are just potatoes that are to be planted again. Potato seed may be tubers or it may be the true botanical seed or TPS for short.

Most folks will not get their potatoes to bloom and set berries. Most varieties are selected to not do that.

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Do I tightly pack the straw?
I don't like to grow potatoes in straw but in Missouri those pots above ground are gonna get mighty hot. The black plastic containers are perfect for the early season, warming up the soil and hastening growth, but later that straw had better be placed around the pots to keep them as cool as un-humanly possible. Kansas and Missouri have some of the worst conditions for growing potatoes for quality. The hot days and hot nights causes the potatoes to not set high specific gravities, ie. watery spuds.
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Can I fertilize with MiracleGro 15-30-15 like I do peppers and tomatoes?
I did the MiracleGro thing before I went totally organic. I miss those days when I did a mix of the two. But the dynamics of the seed business that I am in dictates that I grow all organic all the time.

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Any other tips appreciated.
Oh, I have lots of tips, but specify otherwise I will ramble on and on and on...Besides that I have potatoes to pack and send to PA. WA, OR, ND, etc. I stopped just now to take a call from J.D. from SW Kansas. Another order of spuds.

Tom Wagner
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