Potatoes in Zone 5 - Help - my seed potatoes are growing!

[trion]

I bought seed potatoes last month and for lack of anywhere else they went into the basement. Cool & dark but damp. I discovered today some have 3-4 inch long roots already!

I am in zone 5. According to my planting calenders I should plant potatoes around the 9th or so of May. That is still another 2 weeks away. We had snow just last week. Granted a tiny bit, but still snow on the ground. I know from experience to not push my luck too much. Oh and I use the trash can method of potato growing.

What should I do?

Should I be cutting up the seed potatoes now, drying them and then planting them early next week? Then cover as needed on cold nights?

Should I ignore the growth and stay on schedule?

Any other thoughts???

Thanks!

 

[lesa]

I ordered potatoes from the Maine Potato Lady. Her directions state that the soil temp should have reached about 50-70 degrees- or when the dandelions bloom. I am in zone 4, and believe me the dandelions are blooming! I am planning on planting this weekend. She also recommends planting fresh-cut seed pieces immediately into warm, moist soil. I did the drying thing last year- and had less than stellar results....I vote, plant them now! Good luck!

 

[ducks4you]

Buy some cheap 5 gallon paint buckets. (Don't spend more than $3 - $5 each, at hardware stores with a paint department.) Drill drainage holes at the bottom. Fill 2/3 with soil. Plant potatoes. Cover. Put them ouside. Water thoroughly. When they come up, cover the greens with straw or DRIED grass clippings. Continue covering as they grow. Harvest according to package directions, buy carfully dumping out your harvest. There you go!! That's what I am doing, staring with 2 that cracked on me last winter!! (I use them to haul livestock water in the winter.)

 

[Wildsky]

Two years ago I planted some potatoes. Nothing, the grasshoppers ate them to the stalks.

The following year they all popped up again, they were out all winter long in Zone 4 and came back up just fine.

Your's might be a little too happy with the warmth of the house - you could perhaps try plant them and cover the area to keep in the warmth. Cover the soil with plastic for a day or so to warm it up before you plant them.

 

[Sylvie]

My seed potatoes sprouted everything once.
I pulled it all off and planted with good potassium rich fertilizer. Had a great crop as if nothing happened.
I am in zone 5 and plant as early as April 15th because that is the earliest I can work clay soil. Some here in zone 5 plant potatoes and peas on St. Patrick's Day. I never heard of waiting for May in my area. In fact the feed mill's seed potatoes are all gone by then.

 

[freshfood]

I am in upstate NY, like another poster, but probably a bit farther south because I'm on the edge of zones 4 & 5... I had some of my potato harvest from last summer sprout in the root cellar - in the bucket of sand where they were stored. When I found them, the sprouts were a foot long!!!! I don't know what will happen, but I cut them up and did the bucket-of-planting-mix thing. They are growing like crazy and putting out leaves. I did hill them up a bit mostly to hold the stems from flopping around and breaking off. I will leave them in the buckets (I have 6 buckets of potato plants), but I also just bought my seed potatoes and plan to plant them this week. We took our soil's temperature three weeks ago and it was already 60 degrees. So I hope the potaotes will do ok, going in now. Good luck to us both!

 

[damummis]

Plant them. They will be fine. I planted 6 rows this week. Zone 5-6ish. Good luck.

 

[BetterHensandGardens]

I'm in Zone 6 and purposely sprout my potatoes, then cut them up and let them dry, and then plant them. I started sprouting them two weeks ago and will plant this week, see pictures and description here: http://www.betterhensandgardens.com/2010/04/25/potato-planting-preparations/

You can cut them up, let them dry, and plant them now, or you can wait until the safe time for your area. If you do plant them now and since they are already sprouted, if you have a hard frost it may kill the sprouts. If you have them in containers, you could bring them in if expecting a hard frost.

You have choices, good luck!

 

[lupinfarm]

I'm zone 5b (zone 4 USA) and my potatoes are sprouting now in my paint bucket "beds" O__O we even had a little bit of snow and they're doing fantastic. I planted mine ohhh 2 weeks ago maybe? If you're zone 5 you're probably okay, if it snows just grab your trash cans or whatever and bring them into the garage or something.

That reminds me, Saturday I'm picking up some cheap foodgrade 20ltr buckets for potatoes, woohoo!

 

[scotexpat]

I am doing a Vegetable Garden this Year and plan to have a few different varieties of Potatoes. After I cut them should I dust them with anything before planting?