Did You Have a Dream? Potato Growing Tips

The biggest surprise this spring came when my friend Al popped over with a new potato-growing tip. Yes, believe it or not I have one more potato growing tip to share.

I love to grow potatoes and I grow many kinds. But after Al’s friend’s dream I have a new tool in my toolbox for growing potatoes.

Al said a pot-growing friend of his had a dream and in his dream an old Russian woman was wagging her finger at him telling him to set his potatoes in a shallow dish of water before planing them. It seemed like odd advice but when he tried it, the potato pieces sprouted roots in just a few days. And when he planted the potatoes they had both roots and shoots and they grew amazingly fast.

A potato left inside a dark cupboard gets long weak white sprouts. A potato left on top of a cupboard in the light gets short, sturdy, ready to grow sprouts. This is a chitted potato, and I thought it was ready to plant until I heard about the dream.

Obvioulsy I had to try potatoes in shallow water because I love potatoes and am always looking for better or different ways to grow them. If you follow this blog you know I have grown red potatoes and blue potatoes. I have grown them in bags and pots and wire fencing. I have even grown them in the ground like everyone else! But I had never ever done this before I heard about Al’s friend’s dream.

I started growing potatoes after helpful husband begged for more spuds. At about the same time I interviewed organic potato farmer John Mills and was informed that potatoes are sprayed on most commercial farms up to five times year. Yikes. That was enough information to get me growing my own food fast.

Commercial Potatoes are sprayed so they will not sprout and grow. These store-bought potatoes sat on my windowsill for six months and never did sprout. I eventually tossed them out.

The potatoes below were on my kitchen counter for eight weeks before I heard about “the dream”. This process of letting potatoes hang around is called chitting. It just means letting potatoes sit around in my kitchen for weeks before I plant them. In daylight I don’t get long, weak, white sprouts like I would if I left the potatoes in a warm dark cupboard. Chitted potatoes have tiny tight buds and are ready to grow.

Chitted potatoes placed in a shallow dish of water sprouted in a couple of days. The green sprouts grew longer and the roots came in at the base of the leaf stems.

After a couple days in a shallow dish of water my chitted potatoes sprouted long green shoots and roots. Now they are really ready to plant. I better get on it. Only question is how should I plant this bunch? I already have potatoes planted in wire-frames, root pouches and in the soil in my big back yard. Maybe it’s time to add spuds to the front oranmental garden? Will they be deer proof? Lets find out.

PS If you have a dream let me know. I love all facts and fun about gardening.

DONNA BALZER IS THE BRAND AMBASSADOR FOR BC GREENHOUSE BUILDERS AND SHE LOVES GROWING IN THEM TOO!