I’m gonna give the Elba variety a try and thanks once again! This article is for information only. I’ve planted both ways many times. Your knowledge and dedication are appreciated by many. One Maine farmer put all his potatoes on the back of his pick-up truck in the garage. During the green sprouting process they’re housed in a building with lights and temperature control. When the eyes begin to sprout the potato has broken dormancy. Relatively mild symptoms such as these should resolve in about 24 hours (4, 6, 7). I set my seed potatoes in egg cartons (in sunny window) as described in your article. Just make sure that you don’t eat any green skin or flesh from the potatoes. Thanks Theresa. (They’re trying to reach more light.). How to provide the ideal conditions for long term potato storage. As long as the weather is not freezing they’ll ship. I have read that some varieties do better in this application than others, but if this is true…am not aware which type would produce more??? That apical end tends to have a concentration of eyes. I don’t know anything about varieties that would be better for planting in a “container”. The green (chlorophyll developing on the skin) can signal the presence of the naturally occurring chemical solanine. Cut away the sprouts, the eyes, and every part of the potato that contains a trace of green. Thank you. Copyright © 2020 Tending My Garden/Organic Gardening with a Common Sense Approach. http://www.woodprairie.com They’re now ready for Stage 2. The entire potato plant contains glycoalkaloids, but the highest concentration is found in the leaves, flowers, "eyes," green skin, and sprouts. However, if the potato is shrunken and wrinkled, it should not be eaten. I found your comment enlightening Julie, because I never related apical dominance to apple trees. Years ago our wholesale customer Gardeners Supply in VT tested a boatload of different varieties for container gardening and Elba came out on top. Understand that green sprouting is not something you “have” to do to grow potatoes. Sprouting fingerling potato. If sprouts continue to elongate after the lightening is increased, try lowering the temperature from 50º F  to 45º F or 40º F. In this final stage of the process you are trying to manage respiration in order that the potatoes will maintain the greatest amount of energy until they can be planted. Excellent article. The hallmarks of solanine poisoning are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, headaches and stomach pain. Mist them once or twice if the humidity is very low. Green sprouting will suppress the dominance of that one king sprout and enable secondary sprouts to grow. Theresa, Excuse my ignorance, but why can’t you just cut back the king shoot to encourage the growth of the secondaries? Without green sprouting there tends to be only one dominant sprout (also called a king sprout, primary sprout, or apical sprout) that grows and sets potatoes . Nevertheless, if not handled properly, potatoes can produce solanine after they have been delivered to a supermarket or while being stored in your kitchen. In fact, it’s present in many of the plant foods you eat every day. Potatoes that have turned green, wrinkled, or have many sprouts then it is advisable to throw them away. When left to its own the primary or king sprout will grow and dominate the secondary sprouts. I have gotten potatoes from this company thru SESE and they are always beautiful and healthy sets. This explains why I only see one main sprout from potatoes and also why I only get a few from each seed. Feta cheese is a staple in Greek cuisine and the Mediterranean diet, but you may wonder what type of milk it's made of. STAGE 1 – Warming the seed for a week to 10 days to break dormancy. He put the truck outside during the day and back in the garage at night. They’re stackable and easy to load on their truck when ready to plant. I will definitely try this. Starting my wintersown today…Julie. Their farm is in northern Maine only 6 miles from Canada. That means that eating a 16-ounce (450 g) potato that has surpassed the acceptable level of 20 mg solanine per 3.5 ounces (100 g) would be enough to make a 110-pound (50-kg) person sick. Since they close on the weekends, the manager put the other half of the cut seed (potatoes) back in the garage and turned the heat up to 75ºF until they could be planted on Monday. So, sprouts, which are vulnerable once they emerge from the soil, come equipped with … Choose a spot in your yard with lots of sun. Well known and active in the organic community, Gerritsen is probably best known as President of the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association. Because solanine is also produced in higher concentrations around the eyes, or sprouts, of a potato, they should be removed as well. The chlorophyll that gives some potatoes their green color is completely harmless. I usually don’t take the soil temperature. If a potato has just a few small green spots, you can cut them out or peel the potato. Credit Kati Falger Newly emerging potato plant in the spring Credit Kathryn Simmons. This site uses cookies. One of my challenges for next years garden is to grow potatoes. 207.429.9765. I’m sure this is not something most people know, and it’s definitely not self-evident. Sometimes potatoes develop a green tinge – a potato exposed to light, sprouted or unsprouted, may itself have an increased concentration of glycoalkaloids. See if things don’t improve. That make me think cutting would be the best way. Why Potatoes Turn Green The greening of potatoes is a natural process. Yay for science! Teresa, although I think the idea is to get the potatoes to break dormancy. Cupuaçu is a chocolaty fruit that can be eaten on its own, processed into butter or powder, and used in various cosmetics. Well, potatoes were on my learn to grow list for this year, too. Sprout growth should be compact – about 3/4 inch. If you green sprout. If you don’t have a cool enough place to store your potatoes, only purchase the amount you plan to use. Gerritsen said that in both steps of the green sprouting process, people tend to get the temperatures wrong. Wood Prairie Farm Although the green color itself is not harmful, it may indicate the presence of a toxin called solanine. Inspect potatoes for greening and damage before buying them and store them in a cool, dark place to prevent them from going green before you use them. Question…due to limited space in my garden beds for potatoes, I also use an upright vertical support called a “tater tower” which is basically a rigid plastic tube approx 4-ft tall with lots of holes for drainage/ventilation. This could make a big difference for a gardener/farmer who sells at a farmer’s market. Light can be daylight, fluorescent, or incandescent as long as it’s strong enough. 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