This other  thread got me thinking:

The potato poll

A buddy had some potatoes that had begun growing from the eyes.  I asked if I could have a couple to plant in my garden, he said sure and gave me a few.  

I cut the potatoes into smallish sections around the eyes, and put them in the garden "growing part" up; the cut part of the potato being buried.  


Did I plant these right? Or am I just going to have rotting potato parts  in my garden?

you should in the future rub ashes on the cut pieces.  This is how my Grandfather did it for years.  

When I say "rub" I mean coat them dont grind it into the potato

So what you're saying is; I really shouldn't expect them to grow...  

I'll have to start them much earlier next year.  I figured why not throw them in and see what happens.

So for next year:
Whole seed potato, planted early.  

It's a wait and see for now.  

Thanks for the replies.

At least one of my pepper plants has a flower bloom on it!!!!!one!

No, I don't think that's what they're saying. It's late to plant potatoes down HERE, but in NY, maybe not.



It is normal to cut seed potatoes into sections with a couple of eyes on each section. Planting a whole potato for each hill would be a waste. No need to do that. It sounds to me like you did just fine with your cuts.



I have never rubbed them with anything. I put the cut side down. Also never waited before planting them.  Cut, then plant immediately.



I've planted them with sprouts already started (first time this year cuz I was late) and not sprouted.



You have to really screw it up, or something has to go way wrong, to get them to not grow at all. They're designed to grow, after all. The main tricks are covering them deep enough but not too deep, getting soil that's drained well enough that they don't rot (rot is the worst danger to seed potatoes) and then once they're up, dealing with the pests.



I suspect your potatoes will come up fine.

Sorry to high jack the thread, but there are already a lot of potatoe threads. This is my first time growing potatoes. I let them get to about 12" tall before I started hilling and kept adding dirt every week as they grew. The last time I added dirt, one of the plants died and I'm not really sure why. If it is dead, should I dig it up and see what I got or just leave it for when the rest of the plants dry up in the fall?

Here is my potato patch I call little Ireland.  It is a bout 30' x 40'.

I plant 3 different varieties.

This was about 3 weeks ago.  Plants are about 2 -3 times bigger now.




I store my potatoes in the root cellar.   The sprouts are about 1-2 feet long by the time I plant them.  I cut all but 3-4" of the spouts off an throw the whole potato in.  It has worked great for the last 2 years.

Waldo, have you done the straw before?  



I'm thinking about doing that with my "square foot potato hill" experiment.  I know people hill with straw, but I've never done it so I'm a little nervous.  I've always used dirt.





Kitties

This.



I don't think I could leave that dead potato there and not look at it.  But I'm voyeuristic that way about plants....

Are you packing the straw in tight at all?



I have two "square foot hills" so maybe I'll do one of each.





Kitties

I cut up a regular size potato into about 5 pieces, each with an eye and plant 'em.  Works great.  

I'll have to try teh "hilling method" next year...

We cut some up this yr. with eyes on them and some without.  Cut em up sitting at the garden put 'em in the ground and they are growing as we speak.

I pulled up one of my yukon golds as i had damaged it the week before. I had about 3 pounds of potatoes on it. This was my first attempt and i was more than happy!  Kind of like opening a present, digging those things up. I have 3 more of them and some reds left. To plant, i just cut them up ensuring an eye was on each piece and immediately stuck them in the mound 4 inches deep. They all came up fine. I will be planting even more next year.