Question for the garden guru(s)

[ak474u]

Ok, I just found a 10lb bag of red potatoes that we bought a while (maybe 2 months) back that my 3 year old didn't carry into the house when unloading groceries. He left them in the garage between 2 boxes. Lol. Well, they've gotten soft, and are sprouting. Since I have zero experience with tater farming, and fall is here, I need advice. Can I just plant them and let them winter in the ground for next year? I hate to throw them out, but if they need to hit the composted, then I guess I will. Any ideas?

[bacpacker]

I read an article years ago about taters. I tried it the next fall. Basically what I did was to dig a trench 6-8" deep and filled the trench about 1/3 full with newly fallen leaves, cut the taters into pieces with an eye or sprout in each piece then another 1/3 with more leaves. Then covered the rest with dirt and piled it up a little over that. They never came up that fall, but the next march they popped right up and grew very nice plants. That fall when we dug them up we had a nice crop and the absolute cleanest potatoes we have ever dug.
I know our seasons are different from yours so YMMV. Give it a shot, you have nothing but a little time to lose.

[ak474u]

I was thinking along those lines, I assume potatoes grow wild somewhere, and re-sprout in the spring. Now the question is, do I let the cuttings dry, or just lop off the end and plant?

[bacpacker]

I always cut my seed taters and let them "cure" for a day before planting. The cut edges will heal a little and it seems to help prevent rot.

[Metrocruiser]

Ty for this info!

[bacpacker]

I forgot to add up top, just in case, every piece you cut must have an "eye" on them. No eye, no plant.

I also will keep mine worked after the plants get up 2-4" or so to keep them weed free and pull dirt up around them to hill them up. The taters will grow up up the vine and produce a few more taters per plant. It also gives you a good path to follow when you dig them, since I always let the vines die back completely, unless I am digging a few new tater for a meal. One last thing, I don't dig my taters during the "dog" days of summer. They don't store worth a crap if I do.