Sprouting potato tubers before planting them will accelerate the growth of your young plants, bring forward the harvest by a few days to a few weeks and improve the harvest.
This technique does not apply to potatoes bought pre-sprouted in garden centers and therefore ready to plant.
The germination of potatoes applies to seed potatoes purchased without germination and to potatoes from the previous year.
Sprouting potatoes from unsprouted plants
Here is the right technique to help your potatoes sprout before planting them.
- Use a crate or an egg carton
- Arrange the potatoes without stacking them
- If a sprout exists, it should look up
- Place the potatoes in a light, dry, cool and airy place
- The ideal temperature of germination is between 10 and 15°.
- The time of germination lasts approximately 4 to 6 weeks
Using your own potato plants for germination
It is quite possible to use the previous year’s potatoes to sprout them.
- The harvesting is done about 4 weeks before the harvest of the potatoes
- Select disease-free potatoes from vigorous plants
- Let the potatoes rest on the ground for a few days
- Finally, select the tubers that have resisted the best, without rotting
- Store them in a cool, airy place until the following year
- Around February-March, start the germination as explained above.
- A few weeks after starting the germination of your potatoes and when the soil temperature is about 12°, it is time to put them in the ground and cultivate your potatoes for a good harvest!
A good way to know the ideal planting time is when the sprouts turn purple…
