I had about a dozen russet potatoes from the grocery store that sprouted in the bag last spring. I decided to plant them rather than throwing them out and I got about a bag’s worth of spuds this fall. I also covered them with leaves after planting in the soil.
I thought we were supposed to cut the seed potatoes and dry them out a little before planted? It seems that you had a beautiful turnout last year planting them whole.? Can you do it either way?😊
Great question! One I had always wondered about as well. Per the blog post I wrote on this last year, linked in the description: Do I really need to cut up my seeds into individual “eyes”? Each “eye” on a potato grows a stem, and that stem creates a whole new plant. Studies have shown that the ideal size “seed” potato is from 1 1/2 to 2 3/4 oz. (About the size of a large chicken egg). So cutting up your larger tubers into approximately 1 1/2 to 2 oz squarish pieces, each with at least one eye, and spreading them out when planting will give you the highest possible yield for the lowest pounds planted. 1 lb of potatoes should plant 8-10 feet. Because I had specifically saved these for planting, they were already egg sized, so no need to further cut up. milesawayfarmww.com/2023/02/02/growing-potatoes-a-deep-dive/
Ms. Jennifer, I have a question that I can't find an answer for. I planted garlic for the first time and some of the clove is coming up to the surface with the sprout. Do I keep it covered entirely until it's time to harvest? They are in containers. I'm guessing that I planted some a bit too shallowly but I'm not sure if I need to recover them. I appreciate any advice you can give when you have a moment. I planted potatoes & onions too and they are staying underground. Thank you.
I had about a dozen russet potatoes from the grocery store that sprouted in the bag last spring. I decided to plant them rather than throwing them out and I got about a bag’s worth of spuds this fall. I also covered them with leaves after planting in the soil.
I thought we were supposed to cut the seed potatoes and dry them out a little before planted? It seems that you had a beautiful turnout last year planting them whole.? Can you do it either way?😊
Great question! One I had always wondered about as well. Per the blog post I wrote on this last year, linked in the description:
Do I really need to cut up my seeds into individual “eyes”?
Each “eye” on a potato grows a stem, and that stem creates a whole new plant. Studies have shown that the ideal size “seed” potato is from 1 1/2 to 2 3/4 oz. (About the size of a large chicken egg). So cutting up your larger tubers into approximately 1 1/2 to 2 oz squarish pieces, each with at least one eye, and spreading them out when planting will give you the highest possible yield for the lowest pounds planted. 1 lb of potatoes should plant 8-10 feet.
Because I had specifically saved these for planting, they were already egg sized, so no need to further cut up.
milesawayfarmww.com/2023/02/02/growing-potatoes-a-deep-dive/
@@cookingtheharvestI also save egg-size spuds as seed potatoes. There’s always plenty of those in the harvest.
Ms. Jennifer, I have a question that I can't find an answer for. I planted garlic for the first time and some of the clove is coming up to the surface with the sprout. Do I keep it covered entirely until it's time to harvest? They are in containers. I'm guessing that I planted some a bit too shallowly but I'm not sure if I need to recover them. I appreciate any advice you can give when you have a moment. I planted potatoes & onions too and they are staying underground. Thank you.
I would definitely cover the sprout. You want that forming head to be under ground. Shouldn't hurt to cover them at all.
@@cookingtheharvest thanks so much!