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Can I just use potato peelings to grow potatoes next time?

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  • #1

    Can I just use potato peelings to grow potatoes next time?

    Evening all,

    I decided to pull out the potato plants that were growing from the scraps berried with the finished compost just to see if there were any potatoes, and to my amazement (considering I did not care for them etc) they produced a good bunch of potatoes (albeit mostly small ish with a few biggies) that I will be having for a potato salad

    I was just wondering if next time I can skip buying potato seeds etc and just use my scrap peelings to grow potatoes? I was also wondering if anyone has compared the success of peelings verses seeds/bulbs (I think the term is different?)?

    I can imagine that peelings have less energy storage than bulbs(?) which could have an affect.

    Im just curious

    Samuel
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  • #2
    This happened to my 'not so well rotted home compost' , I pulled them up, so don't know if they would have produced potatoes.
    DottyR

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    • #3
      You have to decide whether you want to grow potatoes or you want to grow "a few smallish with a few biggies" potatoes. If you're content with the latter, use peelings, if you want something bigger and more productive, use seed potatoes. Your decision

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      • #4
        My father used to cut the potatoes he used for seed potatoes into lots of small pieces with an eye each. Seemed to work for him. Guess there was enough potato to give it growth to start with. I'm going to just put lots of sprouting bits in next season as I'm going to use them as ground cover, and to break up the dirt in the compacted area out back. If they grow potatoes of any size I'll be happy for a third reason
        Ali

        My blog: feral007.com/countrylife/

        Some days it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints!

        One bit of old folklore wisdom says to plant tomatoes when the soil is warm enough to sit on with bare buttocks. In surburban areas, use the back of your wrist. Jackie French

        Member of the Eastern Branch of the Darn Under Nutter's Club

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        • #5
          I once used potato peelings to start plants in root trainers, and when I went to plant them out they had already produced a potato in the root trainer. There are photos on here somewhere...found them
          Attached Files
          Last edited by zazen999; 13-07-2013, 08:11 AM.

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          • #6
            Are we talking peelings done with a knife, or the very thin peelings you get using a potato peeler?
            Location - Leicestershire - Chisit-land
            Endless wonder.

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            • #7
              As long as the slice you take of the bit that would usually 'chit' is intact, it doesn't matter. Usually I slice those bits off before peeling, that's the bits you want. The eyes...I believe they are called.
              Last edited by zazen999; 13-07-2013, 10:22 AM.

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              • #8
                Thanks, Zaz.

                I've got to try this - I love the idea that I could grow even one whole spud from a tiddly chipping bit of peel!
                Location - Leicestershire - Chisit-land
                Endless wonder.

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                • #9
                  I had a good crop of potatoes from the peel I used in the trench for the runner beans, I could not believe it when I dug them up. I shall do this again next year.
                  Updated my blog on 13 January

                  http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra.../blogs/stella/

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                  • #10
                    I always used to get a nice harvest from the compost heaps (daleks) where the eye-end of the spuds went in. I can't eat the eye-end of a potato, it creeps me out, so I cut them off.

                    Also, when I dig up my spuds, I put the too-small ones back in the hole, and they grow a new crop the following year. This year I have spuds coming up all over the plot, and of course the "wild" ones are growing better than the ones I deliberately planted.

                    Of course, this will completely mess with your head if you like things in the right places, and in straight lines.
                    All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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