Eat your potatoes... and plant them too, using this NEW simple method!

[@dianeduanecounterman7126]

Last year I planted finger tip sized potatoes in double Dixie cups. I left them in my sometimes 120 degree greenhouse all summer. Watering was very infrequent. After 5 months, I checked and they varied between 15 and 40 tiny potatoes in each cup. I also tried plastic bags- about1/2 gallon and got 1” potatoes. Milk crates lined with cardboard and 30# cat food bags also worked. These were just fun experiments. I also grew 150# plus in the regular garden and about 150 # of sweet potatoes spaced a foot apart in a raised bed. I am a semi- retired grain farmer learning to garden in mid Ohio.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Amazing! Did you ever try it from eyes only like on my video?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

@dianeduanecounterman7126 Thank you so much for your post, I've been thinking about it a lot! First of all, the double-cup method. It's a game changer for seedlings AND potted plants. The double cup acts like a reservoir so the plants never dry out, and actually is like a cross between a regular potting method and hydroponics, as the plant's roots grow down into the second cup, instead of becoming root bound the way most potted plants do. That's why you can get a harvest of potatoes, (and other produce), growing in a cup. If you have a sunny window, you can grow some food all winter using the double-cup method! Regarding the 15 to 40 little potatoes coming from those finger tip size potatoes you planted... that just shows the potential for growing a lot of food from potatoes you would normally have very little regard for. I know you get it, but I just want to post this video from Mark over at Self-sufficient Me showing that it's possible: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqGuqJmdrcp_jJo I just wish I had some tiny potatoes left over from last year's harvest to try out, but we ate them all! I'm really excited about it, especially now that you've verified it! BTW, I'm subscribed to Mark's channel and would recommend everyone subscribe, as he is a wealth of practical information! Utilizing the two methods, both growing from tiny potatoes, AND growing from chits ONLY... we can grow a lot of food from very little! Our minds are opened up to the possibilities we didn't know existed...again! Thanks for the inspiration!

[@elijahsanders3547]

Wait, growing potatoes in your house during winter months??? That could be a game changer :D

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

You think??

[@kedeglow2743]

I'll be honest---while I was watching this my dear hubs was shaking his head, grumbling about, "you can't grow potatoes like that,...". So naturally I bought a seed potato while we were out today (we wont get the ones we ordered for the garden until March), just so I could experiment with your method! He shook his head again,...but I'll be the one laughing when I get spuds from your method!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I hope so! But you have to grow it in really rich soil or compost for the first few weeks of its life in the cup or it won't work! Try the marked-down produce at the supermarket because many of them are chitted already, If the chits are white, gradually expose them to the light until they green up, and then put them under grow lights before you break them off and plant them.

[@annenitkowski]

@kedeglow2743 Did your husband see the part of the video when John discovered the little potatoes growing in the cup? That was really cool.

[@kedeglow2743]

@@annenitkowski No he was listening as I watched. He knows I love to experiment with new garden ideas, and he doesn't mind a bit. In fact, last year I grew sweet potatoes in mineral tubs and the results just about floored him!

[@kedeglow2743]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Thanks for the advice! I think I have one or two of those chitted supermarket spuds in the house now, and there's no problem on the soil! We live in rural central Missouri, so we're constantly having to amend our soil. I've got lots of good stuff on hand.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

@kedeglow2743 Just wondering if you started any potatoes from eyes yet?

[@jimwaterhouse7747]

@Davidthegood sent me. I see why. Keep up the good work.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Thanks for coming

[@user-vd2tp4dq6p]

Nice video. Potato breeders frequently use stem cuttings (similar to rooting a tomato sucker) to produce hundreds of plants (clones) from just one mother plant. That is how they can get enough seed potatoes for large scale planting.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Thank you for this. I want to look into it!

[@user-vd2tp4dq6p]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow search for "single node" potato propagation. P.B. Goodwin was author

[@user-vd2tp4dq6p]

Pdf.usaid.gov has simple method reprint from International Potato Center. PNABC124 pdf. Good luck

[@user-vd2tp4dq6p]

I just looked around the USaid site and you will likely want to look at PDFs PNABC123 through 126

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Thank you for all these!

[@pascalxus]

talk about having your cake and eating it too!!! what a find!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

So if you take that shriveled up potato, half the size of a golf ball you were about to throw away, and get 25 chits from it and plant them and get a measly 2 lbs. from each plant you'd get 50 lbs. of potatoes from that one potato! But, of course, that would be spread out over three months or so because the chits don't come all at once! So you start some in November like I did and grow them in a solo cup and get half a pound in that cup growing them in the house. But the potatoes you grow during your prime growing weather will give you five pounds per plant (if your soil is perfect, with lots of biochar) like mine did last year. So maybe you will average 2 lbs./plant. But each grower has to find out what works best for them. I, for one, am thrilled to get a half pound of new potatoes per plant growing in a 16 oz. cup on my windowsill in January or February!

[@HuwRichards]

Absolutely fascinating and love the tip about starting them off in pots of compost. I will conduct an experiment this year to see what yield I can achieve from one potato, and perhaps turn it into an annual challenge I do to really push the limits! Great video yet again.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Hi Huw, I'll be coming out with a new video, probably in the spring, showing the importance of the double cup method. I've learned so much more since my last videos about it. But it's the secret WHY I was able to grow actual potatoes in that cup, and not just foliage! Make sure you look at all the comments on the "Growing Potatoes From Eyes Only" comment section about the double cup method so you can see the great potential, not only for potatoes but for EVERY plant you would grow in a container!

[@marcqas59]

i placed potatos with eyes in my wormbin (70% humidity). 14 days later the roots were 4 inches long and the stems were 6 inches.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

They need more light! When they grow that fast they won't be very productive. If they're white (instead of green) you'll probably have to break them off and throw them away. But you're right about the humidity. That's what gets them to start chitting!

[@melanieallen3655]

The marble or woodchip is a great idea!! Very interesting video! Thankyou..David the good sent me!😊

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Thanks for watching!

[@patriotoftruth-v1w]

David the good sent me too 😀

[@carmenpittman8842]

Me too and I subscribed ❤

[@robindevellen7038]

My husband’s grandmother lived on the border of Kentucky Tennessee. When she was a young girl her mother would be peeling potatoes for supper and give her the peelings. She would plant them along the fence and grow a few potatoes to sell at the local store for a few pennies.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I'm getting 2-4 lbs. of potatoes from each eye, and get 20 or more eyes from each seed potato. So that's like 40-80 lbs. of harvest from one potato!

[@GrandmomZoo]

I grew potatoes all winter in my tack room/grow light room in large pots. Wish I had watched this video long ago for a much bigger yield. But, now I know! 😊

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I'm still excited about seeing those big potatoes in a 16 ounce cup!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I've also discovered that the double-cup method is the key for actually getting potatoes growing inside the cup in the house. But the double cup will also give you a bigger harvest of EVERY plant you grow in a pot even in a south facing window throughout the winter, lettuce for example! The reason is, the plants never get root bound and the second cup acts as a reservoir to keep the plants watered and nourished at all times. You can add your fish fertilizer to the second cup and your plants will be as happy as those planted in the ground!

[@victorialg1270]

Thanks. This is info we need in times like these.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Hi Vicky, and even more than that, we need the mindset of diligence! It really is not a question of if, but when, we will need to put all the info to work. You're right, in times like these!

[@brigidvandermoezel7814]

I do enjoy your wisdom, knowledge, and your beautiful childlike excitement over little discoveries (potato in the cup).

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

😊 thank you

[@dawncramer6282]

I was referred to your biochar video by David the Good. You are wonderful. I just binge watched 6 of your videos. This potato video is eye opening (No pun intended) I am amazed at the sight of the 2 small potatoes on such a young plant. What growing medium are you using? Thank you again for educating us.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I was using Coast of Maine Lobster compost but you could use your own 2-year old compost. Thanks for subscribing!

[@davemartin1534]

I live in zone 7A . i think I may have grown up in possibly in 7b. My grand dad hallway planted potatoes on ground hog day. By early April we eat new potatoes. Grand dad would watch the ground around the potatoes and when cracks in the soil appeared around the plants. It was time to gather a few new potatoes from each plant that showed cracks. Care was taken not to dig too deep n then push back against the roots. We eat new potatoes several times a week. Always moving on to other potato vines. Grand dad would order 100# of seed potatoes so we had many vines to have An early crop of new potatoes. About a month of harvest before slowing the potatoes to develop the big potatoes. We always had potatoes the year thru until big harvest. One thing I remember about new potatoes was either we were very hungry for something new or the thast of new potatoes was completely different. Them small potatoes were under an inch to an inch n 1/2 - smaller than a Goff ball.

[@southerngarden8447]

Brilliant Stuff! It's so hard to find seed potatoes in December, which is when we have to start planting them in Florida. (They ain't cheap then, either, even if you CAN find them!)

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

It does take a lot of trial and error to get it just right, so you have all summer to work on perfecting that!

[@happyhobbit8450]

Couple years ago I learned about solo cups for planting and I got them for fairly cheap (50 for $4) but recently I looked and was astounded that they wanted $18 for 50 solo cups! Recently I got a free stack of solo cups at the Reuse shed at the dump for free. We just ask and things appear at these reuse sheds that we've been looking for and it's free.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Good deal! when I go to a picnic, I stay to the end and get all I need!

[@iartistdotme]

That was a fun surprise and I'm off to chit some myself! Thank you for the information you provide - didn't know that the long white chits were NOT good to try. Didn't realize that covering the potatoes with straw would make that difference! Have you tried sweet potatoes? I have one with about 30 chits that I just set into a glass dish - didn't water it- and there are long purple stems with leaves growing under a grow light. Evidently I should pop them off, plant them up and slowly get them into sunlight. I didn't know how I would cut the potato up with so many stems already but now I'll try just taking them off. I once saw a video where the man said his grandfather always laid the sweet potatoes down on their sides on top of a garden bed of dirt keeping the top showing. Then he pulled off leafed out small plants to actually plant in the garden and got tons of plants that way from just a few sweet potatoes. I'm going to try that - you've got me wanting to experiment - at 78 yo! THANK YOU - now how do I keep the deer off?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Hello, thanks for your comments. I have some sweet potatoes growing under my grow lights now. Sweet potatoes are really easy to propagate. You don't even need any roots. If you have a stem about 6 inches in length, you can pop it into a glass of water, or stick it into the soil, and it'll form roots. I used to use the water glass method, but now I've found it to be better to lay them on their sides in a pan in some potting soil under the lights, like you were talking about! I'm still working on the deer problem. I've put 4 ft. tall fence around some of my garden beds, and that DOES work, but I'm also going to be trying a deer and rabbit repellant that was recommended to me that supposedly the animals shy away from. I'll let you know after I try it this spring!

[@schnauzpig]

I didn't know you could grow them on so little! I best get a move on. Thanks.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I was totally (pleasantly) surprised as well!

[@CinnamonBear-xv4eq]

That is so awesome, you can grow potatoes inside all winter- it’s totally revolutionary, I don’t know why I haven’t seen or heard of this before!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Yes, but you sometimes need to make to make a lot of mistakes before you can get the right combination of all the factors needed to be successful.

[@thomaskahler3940]

This is priceless knowledge Thank you so much

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

You are very welcome

[@marlaschaefer9245]

I know you were trying to stay serious but what a surprise, I kept laughing out loud and Iwatched you and you kept laughing too. Im going to start my seed potatoes right away. Thank you.😅

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@FrancisFenderson]

I appreciate you sharing this with us. 20:50 what a shock to see a potato of that size growing!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I think that I'm going to grow them all year, including in the winter under the lights and on the window sills, after seeing that! Maybe I should have done it on the video, but you know that hindsight is 20/20, but you can pick those potatoes and they will grow back more!

[@Tygydyk17]

Just watched on Tuesday, Feb 13 at 11pm. Fantastic. I learned on double cup method from Murdoch channel about 7-8 months ago on tomato seedlings. It is probably too late for me, Florida zone 10a but I am going to experiment with it with chits and skins to see how it goes. Then will go full force with it next fall (florida growing season). I grow my vegies in square 5, 7 gal buckets and growing bags of various sizes 2,3,5, 7 gallons. I put few potatoes this year in 7 gallon green growing bags with side openings, we will see how it goes. Thanks for a great video.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Sounds good that you're experimenting. The way i see it is, if I've got a chit on a potato, I'm going to pick it off and plant it. I've got nothing to lose! Do me a favor, remember this channel, and let us know what kinds of results you're getting in your climate! BTW biochar is GREAT for Florida's sandy soil for increasing the water and nutrient capacity of your soil!

[@Tygydyk17]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Not only I remember your channel but I subscribbed and hit the bell right after I watched first time watching the biochar video. I have made few comments on few of them and we chatted back and for. I am very grateful. Have not made biochar retort yet but I am procuring some metal drums for free tomorrow and will build it later on in the spring. We will be chatting some more for sure

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

@@Tygydyk17 Yes Piotr, right after I sent you a response, I remembered you and the conversations we had. It's good to hear from you again!

[@HedgehogsHomestead]

Hi David, the Good sent me over looking forward to getting to know you and your channel. God bless have a great day.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Welcome!

[@dianeduanecounterman7126]

When you transplanted from the Dixie cup and found potatoes, if you had opened up that dirt ball, you likely would have found many more small potatoes growing. It is a fun surprise.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

You're right, I did!

[@melanieallen3655]

Genious!! I cant wait2 try! Cheers from Australia.😊

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Have fun!

[@greenroadgardens1638]

What a super video. Thank you. 😀

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Glad you liked it! It IS exciting no matter how many times you do it!

[@garthwunsch7320]

Fascinating!!!! So nice to see your subs growing. I send a lot of folks your way. I have a pretty big reach as I'm chief admin for a local fb gardening group... just passed 600 followers. Also promote you on much larger fb groups that I actively participate in. So what would be your plant and row spacing for this method. I know you gave total weight, but I'm curious if I need more garden space, Less, or no change to produce our needed storage crop. My garden space is limited to about 1200 sq. ft. so I've started learning to use pots for some of my spuds, following Simplify Garden's channel. I've also wondered about growing a few pots over winter in my year round greenhouse. It's really easy and economical for me to heat with my setup even though I'm in Zone 4. What varieties are you having most success with? I grow Nicola, a low glycemic variety that diabetics can eat (Im not diabetic) that tastes wonderful, but only get a small percentage of decent sized spuds. This could also become a new offering for commercial greenhouses LOL

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Hi Garth. Thanks for all you do for people! I'm not sure what varieties I grow. Many of them are just from chits I got off supermarket potatoes. I know I have a purple variety, Russets, and Yukon Gold, but that's about all I know. I believe you can plant them closer together than normal, I'm thinking about 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) apart in all directions. You have to remember that when potatoes are planted the conventional way, you can have 10 or more plants growing in one crowded spot. So they need more space. But if you were to remove 10 chits and plant them individually, even putting them 4 inches (10cm) apart on center, it's going to give them MORE room than if you put them 12 inches (30cm) apart in rows 24 inches (60cm) apart grown the conventional way! When you sow a whole potato with 10 eyes and get 5 lbs. (2.25kg) that's only one-half lb. (.23kg) per eye. That would actually be considered a great harvest! But when you plant the 10 chits individually you can get 2 lbs (.9kg) per eye, or 20 lbs. (9kg) from that same potato! I get more than 2lbs from one eye! Last year I planted 6 chits and harvested about 35 pounds of potatoes from them, but they were grown in very fertile soil with lots of inoculated biochar added. I never got that big of a harvest before from any other method! Growing them in your greenhouse sounds fantastic! I'm getting terrific results growing them in as little as a 16 oz. (.5L) cup. Obviously, a bigger cup with more soil will give you a bigger harvest. But I plan on growing potatoes all year, in containers indoors, and in my garden beds during the frost-free periods. So, no matter what day of the year it is, if I see a chit growing on a potato, it'll be twisted off to be planted in a pot!

[@roxtar69-9mm]

Lol. Pure joy at finding potatoes already growing. I love it!!!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Me too!!

[@debralarosa353]

Wow Im growing potatoes this year and will definitely do this method Thank you for sharing !

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

You're welcome! Get started right away even though it's a little too early so you can learn the timing and procedures for it. You may need up to a month for the chits to form on your potatoes. Or try buying some at the marked down produce at the supermarket that are already chitting! That's what I've done and I've never had a problem! Pick off the chits and then you can still eat the potatoes!

[@tinkertailorgardenermagpie]

New subscriber here - I thank you for sharing your knowledge & enthusiasm!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Thank you for taking the time to write us!

[@rogerarsenault4511]

Great Video good idea going to get a few started early ! last year I tried something different and I got a not to bad of a crop I rototiller the ground and put all my potatoes on top off the ground 5x20 area and cover them with 8 to10 inches of straw, it was easy digging and lots of giant potatoes....

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Great tip!

[@1boortzfan]

Thank you for your videos. I found you because of David the Good, and I did like, and I did subscribe to your videos. I'll be sure to try this method of growing potatoes even though I live in Central Florida and potatoes do present a problems here.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Make sure you try biochar. My potatoes have never done better. I would put about an inch thick layer of biochar, not charcoal, on each of the garden beds where you're growing your potatoes. Go to the community page of the channel and scroll down to see the 32 lbs. of potatoes I grew from 6 plants with a tiny bit of peel attached-- with lots of biochar and compost.

[@1boortzfan]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Thanks, I'll be sure to do that. I'm binge watching your channel right now.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

@@1boortzfan And I'm binge answering comments at 1:00 in the morning!

[@southerngarden8447]

ProTip for Central Florida Potatoes - Plant them in December through March, and stick with "first earlies." Red Norland and Yukon Gold do great here. In May, replace them with sweet potato slips! If you rule out russets and other long-season spuds, you'll do fine.

[@George1mac]

This is great....going to try this soon as we have potatoes left over and they have chits...for my small gardening needs, this will be a super headstart come April....My dad always planted potatoes on Good Friday here in East Tennessee, and I have done the same...hope to have some already growing and ready to be set out along with some the traditional way. I grew some in cardboard boxes last year and they did fairly well but not as good as those I had in ground. I also had some in left over garden soil bags, and they did about the same as the boxes, but they are a bit easier to deal with at harvest time.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Here's what I do: Sometimes grocery stores have marked down produce with sprouting potatoes. I get them at a low price, pick off the chits and eat the potatoes!

[@andreahajduk2143]

Just what I was looking for on potatoes!! thank you; I have planted my small potato leftovers in spare spots in the garden for a few years but didnt invest much into them. Now I can see it will be worth it to invest fertility into them!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Sounds great! I think it's best to start them in cups in super fertile grow mix for the first few weeks of their lives. But once in the garden, I think the activated biochar has the most influence for your success. You're right, fertility is the key. When you plant a potato, (as opposed to planting just a chit), as the potato piece decomposes it provides food for the new plant. When you plant just a chit with no potato attached the nutrition must come from the richness in your soil!

[@andreahajduk2143]

Your biochar info was very useful since I have never used it. But I have a wood stove and have been making it since December. I’m experimenting on size and charging and the research is fascinating. Hope this is a great year in the garden!!!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

@@andreahajduk2143You're not wasting your time learning about it!

[@slaplapdog]

I find 100's of potatoes in dumpsters and use them for seed, but this will be useful for multiplying purchased potatoes varieties.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

That's a great idea!

[@sowgroweat6987]

Great video thanks, love this idea of maximising future crops. The small potatoes from the small pot was very interesting. Great to have gardening to do inside while it is so cold outside.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I could have picked those 2 potatoes and the plant would happily produce more!

[@patriotoftruth-v1w]

This is also stealth growing caloric foods in your home, with nobody knowing that may be vital during the coming "struggle"👍

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Go potatoes and sweet potatoes! You're right, you're not going to survive on your parsley plants!

[@bobg5362]

I actually did the this a few months ago with some thumbnail-sized eyes about two months ago. I pulled them off some Adirondack Blues that were in storage for eating. On a whim I stuck some in the pots holding my overwintering peppers and they all seem to have sprouted. I think this method would be great for those in the South. You jump start some plants in pots, bring them indoors for that inevitable, last, night freeze that we also seem to get a couple of weeks after you think spring has sprung, and end up taters maybe a month earlier than normal.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

The best part about it is-- because you're always starting new plants because your seed potato keeps producing more chits, and you get a CONTIOUOUS early, normal, late, and through the winter in cups harvest!

[@jiujitsuforall8627]

Found your channel from David the Good. Great content!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Welcome aboard!

[@peggybreaux8973]

I have been do that for a while. I have some growing now

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Fantastic!

[@nancymweasel6561]

My mother, one year, used pretty much the eyes only. She used the tip of an old fashioned potato peeler to gouge out the eye and so there was always just a bit of potato on it. It was normal back in the depression

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I've done it both ways, and I get better results with NO potato, or potato skin, attached. The ones I started on the video, one with the peel, and one with the cone shaped potato attached... neither of them came up. I started two others with nothing attached, the same day, the same variety, planted the same way, in the same soil, and placed them all in the same sunny location... all those are already up! Try it both ways and see and let us know what your results are!

[@happyhobbit8450]

The potatoes I grew last year that I saved for planting this year because each year they adapt to the soil and climate/environment here so they're suppose to be better. However, they've sprouted with long growth -- do I plant that whole long sprout? Thank you -- I came here from David the Good and I've been telling everybody and anybody about this channel!!!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

They probably won't grow. Break them off and put them under a light and break those off when they're green and about a half inch long and plant them. They get really long like that when there's not enough light.

[@kooltube100]

Please do a follow up video of the full harvest!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I will!

[@troupier88]

Mind blowing ! Thanks from France 😊

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Our pleasure!

[@bluewolf4915]

Had to subscribe just to see how this progresses. Of course I'll have to experiment with it too. ☺

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

If you always grow potatoes, do it your normal way and do this too! You will get a larger harvest this way because you can pick off and grow 25 chits from one potato, and even if you got a measly 2 lbs. on each plant after you transplanted them into your garden, that's 50 lbs. of potatoes from one potato. You can actually get a hundred chits or more off that one potato in a year! Remember to plant them closer than usual, say six inches apart. When you plant a whole potato and you see all that lush foliage, that's really 10 plants or more growing on that one potato in one spot, and it's not very productive, because you've got 10 plants crowded into one space. Just say you got 5 lbs. from one potato planted that conventional way, that would be pretty normal, but it's just a half pound per plant. Check out the other comments, and responses, to learn more about this, and check out the channels recommended on the video. If you use lots of biochar your yield will be even greater like I did last year---32 lbs from six plants. You can see the pictures on the Community Tab! Let us know how it works out for you!

[@GrandmomZoo]

Great potatoe growing hacks! Thank you for sharing.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

So nice of you

[@jeffmeyers3837]

I've watched this but have questions related to planting depth when transplanted outside. I typically plant a seed potato outdoors 4-5" below the soil , giving it that space for tuber growth, as the tubers grow between the seed potato and soil surface, not below the seed potato. But I notice you plant the chit in your pot/cup just 1" below the surface. My question is regarding how deep you transplant it outside, whether you cover most of the stem, and how that affects tuber production, considering most potatoes are determinate so hilling them won't produce more tubers, just blocks sun from tubers near the surface.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

There is no seed potato using this method, and as you saw in the video, the potatoes were lower in the cup than the one inch the chits were planted at!

[@jeffmeyers3837]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrowSo when you transplant outside, do you keep the soil level the same or go a little deeper out in the garden?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I just plant them up to the level of the bottom set of leaves!

[@jeffmeyers3837]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrowThat's helpful to know, I'll try the same thing in my potato "trials" this year. Thanks.

[@karenbearden6198]

Great info thanks! David the good mentioned your channel, subscribed. :)

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Welcome!

[@portiamonnette]

Wish I would have thought to share your bio char video with David the good back when I first saw it when you first made it 😢.... I am only just now starting to realize the potential of sharing on the internet.😊🎉😊🎉🎉

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

You never know what can happen when you share. Someone once shared biochar with me, I never heard of it before one person told me about it! And now I've shared it with 10,000 people, and who knows how many of them shared it with who knows how many! Now you can share how to eat your potatoes and plant them too!

[@denislosieroutdoors]

Very interesting I'm going to try this... also found in the past few years the the cost of seed potatoes have increased dramatically here in my area... thanks for sharing

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Hi Denis, good to hear from you again. Let us know how it works out for you!

[@belladuncan9985]

Great info -thanks. David the Good sent me over from his recent biochar soup can video.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@dawncramer6282]

Thank you

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

You're welcome

[@melodyscamman244]

❤️ like your method ...🤔 (Home Grown Veg) has a similar system, but has adapted the cup to have holes up the sides of the cups resulting in denser root systems...

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Interesting!

[@jeffmeyers3837]

@melodyscamman244 put sand at the bottom of the cup right up to the level of your side holes

[@cfree001]

Wow! New subscriber .. sent by David.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

That's what I said too when I learned about it! And I said WOW again when I opened up that 16 oz. cup and saw those potatoes there!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Welcome!

[@karenjacks2904]

QUICK QUESTION: does biochar in the garden deter moles and voles??? Horrible problem with them in the Ozark (MO) area.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

No it doesn't. This is the only thing that I have found that works to eliminate them: amzn.to/3xYjPOE I have three of them!

[@katymcdowell5530]

I'm a new follower. What great information. Is it true you should not consume a potato that has chits growing because the potato begins to produce a toxin? I just learned about this toxin in the potato. But I grew up just removing the eyes and still eating the potato. Can you please tell me what that powder was that you sprinkled on to the soil before transplanting from the cup to the bigger pot. Thank you so much for all the information. I started following you when I found you about how to make eggshell powder. Thank you for sharing

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

The powder is Mykos Natural Root Enhancer Mycorrhizal Inoculant that I got on Amazon. You can take a look at it here: amzn.to/3Y69Kd3 I have never had a problem eating potatoes that have eyes growing from them, as long as you REMOVE the eyes and peel off any green skin. It is possible that some people are sensitive to the glycoalkaloids that are produced. Here is a link to one website that talks about it: www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/packages/help-around-the-kitchen/sprouted-potatoes-safe-to-eat

[@almostoily7541]

What do you think would happen if you put a piece of biochar to separate the cups instead of a wood chip? Would it be more fertilizer or maybe too strong? Inquiring minds...😂

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

That is a GOOD idea... as a matter of fact, it is a GREAT idea! Thanks!

[@roberthart897]

Never mind you just answered my first question😊. I didn't listen long enough!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

That was easy! Now for the second question; I find I have much better success starting them in pots and giving them that perfect environment in the very rich potting soil for the first few weeks of their lives. I want them to be established with a good root system, and about 4 inches tall, before I set them in the garden-- hardening them off for a week or so first, of course.

[@roberthart897]

@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Thank you! I just suggested your video to another KZbin channel called 1,000's of Roots. I'm excited to give this method a try!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

@@roberthart897 Thank you!

[@4realinAL]

Thanks for sharing this information. How deep do you plant the chits in the cup after they dry for a day?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I plant them about an inch and a half deep (37mm). I only dry the chits that still have potato attached. The chits I twist off go in the soil immediately!

[@leslienichols5268]

Here from David the Good

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Welcome!

[@mojavebohemian814]

Rhank you

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

You're welcome!

[@francozanieri8684]

Great video and have tried this method with very good results. Do you plant out those potatoes in which you potted up in larger pots into beds? Or leave them in there until they die back with yellowish stems?

[@francozanieri8684]

Or Harvest from the potatoes from the pots.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I do that all! Since I'm always starting new plants, some will live their entire life in a larger pot, and some will be planted into a garden bed. Also because I always have plants in different stages of development a harvest the plants when they get yellow as you say! This way I'm eating fresh potatoes all year!

[@dawnteskey3259]

Amazing! Thank you!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Glad you liked it!

[@portiamonnette]

Thanks!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

That was very nice of you and we appreciate it a lot. I hope your garden is the most abundant ever!

[@SherieRodrigues]

Thank you for great information. ❤hugs from Australia. Hugs to your camera operator, would I be right in assuming it is your lovely wife?❤❤❤

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Yes, that's her! I think she does a great job! Let us know how planting potatoes from eyes works out for you. It takes a while to learn how to have success.

[@SherieRodrigues]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrowI will my dear, thank you❤❤

[@roberthart897]

Do you have to d ry the chit before you put it in the cup of soil? If it is the season 2 plant, can you just take the plants from the cup and plant them outside? Do you have to pop them up first until they get a certain size?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I'm sorry, I missed your comment and that's why I'm only getting back to you now! You DO NOT have to let the chits scab over before planting them into the soil the way you must do with cut potatoes. I like to start them inside every time in very rich soil in cups since there's no rotting potato to provide them with nutrition like there is when you plant a whole or cut potato!

[@kylesweigard3011]

THANKS!!!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

You're welcome!

[@lisabeam8315]

Doesn't the chit use the potato for moisture and food until the plant establishes?❤

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

You would think so, but when you start them indoors in rich soil you get BETTER plants, and they come up faster, using the chit method. See the reply above for the long comprehensive explanation. (Make sure your settings are set to show NEWEST FIRST or it may not be directly above this post!)

[@lorenbush8876]

That's what I did was just try it then I just found this video tonight, I did share it it's too useful and helpful not to, Thanks.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Great to hear!

[@xmobile.]

This is what i do. I never understood why people put the useful potato in the ground. Sometimes i don't even cut the skin, i just twist the eye growth off. I put them in a bowl with a tiny bit of water and plastic wrap on top. They sprout roots and then i plant them. I lay these rooted eyes on top of soil (clay soil) and cover them with a bunch of shredded oak leaves. When they shoot up, i add more debris on top (leaves, grass clippings, etc.)

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Thanks for your suggestions!

[@jeffmeyers3837]

@xmobile. Can you elaborate a bit more on your potato chit method of growing? Specifically I'm curious with how much leaves you cover the tiny rooting chit with on the soil at first, and how much you end up adding throughout the season? I thought you had to initially bury them deep enough for the tuber growth, and that gradually adding mulch wouldn't produce more tubers unless your potato is indeterminate, which most are not. Also do you add any fertility to the leaf mulch, I know potatoes like a good amount of nitrogen.

[@davidsoderstedt737]

If you break the chits off and plant them without any peel, you just get one huge potato per plant. Much like with sweet potatoes. Gonna try this next!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

But that's not always the case. That potato plant I grew in the four-inch cup in the video had four potatoes on it, the two you saw, and there were also two others closer to the center of the cup! When you watch other videos, including the ones I gave you links to, multiple potatoes grew from a single chit. There may be certain varieties where what you say is ALWAYS true, and the ones you tried may have happened to have been one of those varieties.

[@davidsoderstedt737]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow I wrote my response before watching the entire video, I'm sorry. It's probably because i planted white out growths, instead of ones with budding leaves and lots of root buds. I also direct sowed them outside. They grew to about 3x standard size. Started experimenting with this last year on my own. Great to see others experiments.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

@davidsoderstedt737 That's good to know thanks for clarifying.

[@jeffmeyers3837]

@@davidsoderstedt737 Are you saying that you took the small white chit and buried that outside and it grew even though it didn't have roots yet? I'd love some details on how deeply you planted it, and if I am understanding you that the top growth of that plant was 3x larger than regularly grown potatoes but yielded a single potato.

[@davidsoderstedt737]

@@jeffmeyers3837 I planted a bunch of white chits outside. First planting was killed by the frost, didn't regrow because they had no energy storage. Second planting survived all summer and looked like every other potato plant. When I pulled them at the end of the summer they only had one large potato each 3x the size of a regular. A bit lite planting sweet potato slips. Huge thanks for the biochar in cans idea btw. I've probably got 200-300 liters this winter. Merged five cans on top of each other to fit my fireplace better. They look like metal candles when burning.

[@lindawillenburg6626]

Can chits be sowed like cut seed potatoes or do they need to have leaves first?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Just do it exactly the way I do it in the video. Twist off the chit, poke a hole in the cup about an inch and a half deep, drop the chit in, and cover it over. Transplant them into your garden when the danger of frost has passed.

[@lindawillenburg6626]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Thank you! Appreciate it much!

[@DustySplinters]

I tried this with a white variety of potatoes and russets last season. The white all died. The russet mad one small seed potato which I'm hoping to plant this year.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

There's lots of ways to kill your potato plants. One of the worst is not enough light so they get spindly, fall over, and die. Another is overwatering and letting them sit in soggy soil. I've found the best way to grow them is by starting them in cups with very fertile soil, in the double cups, with plenty of light, and in cooler temperatures. You also have to make sure there are no aminopyralids in your soil as potatoes are susceptible to being poisoned by that. Keep trying until you find the right combination!

[@DustySplinters]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Yes, thank you... did almost all of that and they grew nice in the garden but did not make a crop.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

@@DustySplinters Possibly a potassium deficiency. Also, are you using biochar?

[@DustySplinters]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Nope... I grow 100's of pounds of taters, good BTE soil. These chits, rooted and grew but They just gave me one tine seed potato. I'm re-planting them this season and will try a few more chits in pots then into a different part of the garden. Like you I am in the old north so there is still a little time.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Now doesn't that drive you batty?@@DustySplinters It could be just that it's that variety that does that! How's that for using that word that, in that one sentence? I would still put a good dose of wood ashes in the planting hole IF you do that variety again tho.

[@bobstenger]

Just plant the peels with eyes on them and still eat your potatoes. Been doing it for decades!

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Imagine how valuable it would be to know how to do this during a food shortage!

[@portiamonnette]

Exactly...skins are nutritious too

[@nbeizaie]

Great Video! This is the first year I made my own seed potatoes. They have all chitted but they are all long and white :( What should I do now?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I hate to break it to you, but the best thing is to break off all that long white growth and start over, but this time putting them under a grow light or in a sunny window!

[@nbeizaie]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Thanks for your advice. I will do that today. Hope it is not too late.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

@@nbeizaie It's NEVER too late because you will LEARN something from the experience!

[@nbeizaie]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow That is so true! Thanks for the encouragement :)

[@artstamper316]

​@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow That happened to ALL of my potatoes as well..I took off the sprouts but the potatoes are quite shriveled already so I don't know that they are going to do anything more. 😢

[@Andluth]

Can you store just the chits for any amount of time?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

No, but you can just leave them on the potato under lights and they stay pretty small. Without lights, they'll grow really long and they'll be worthless!

[@bearhunter4188]

I have had potato plants try to grow, just from putting peels in my worm bin. the rate may not be good, but it happens. (Peeler peels, not knife peeled chunks)

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

If you would pick them out and put them into some rich soil and put them under lights, you would get potatoes from them.

[@glendas2906]

What's in your water?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I use just a few drops of AgroThrive All Purpose Organic Liquid Fertilizer. I also use it to inoculate my biochar. Take a look at it here: amzn.to/3Zbpb4Y

[@rachaellee2629]

Onions in the same space, encourages potatoes to chit-out...

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I never heard of that, thanks for the tip!

[@craigmatheson2736]

February the 13th. My question always is what year? As the earth changes positions and the "April showers bring May flowers" changes to May - June it'd be nice to know what the weather is like at this time compared to 30 years down the road...

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I'll try to remember that for the next videos!

[@MeMe-sy4sb]

👍

[@magpier.5761]

have you noticed significant production difference and plant vigor between plants you start with only the chit vs a whole seed potato?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

You get what SEEMS to be smaller plants and lower production with the chit method, HOWEVER, the opposite is true! When you plant whole seed potatoes, you get up to ten plants growing together and they crowd each other. When you pluck 10 chits off one potato and plant them separately, it LOOKS like you're getting a smaller yield per plant, butt the total from those 10 plants will actually be MUCH higher than ten plants in one hole when you plant a whole potato! Furthermore, you can space your plants from chits much closer to each other in your garden than when using the whole potato method, i.e. six inches apart IN ALL DIRECTIONS rather than a foot or more apart in rows three feet apart! I won't ever plant a whole potato again! So, I've got this one, shriveled up, less than golf ball-sized, potato that I've broken ten chits off already, the one I showed you on the video, and it's still sending out more. I could get 25 plants off the chits from that one potato. I'm thinking I could get more than a hundred chits off that single potato, over a period of two years or more, and get hundreds of pounds of food from that! I know, because I've done it before, that if I planted that same shriveled up, less than golf ball-sized, potato directly into the garden I would have gotten about a pound of potato from it. I get MORE than that from JUST ONE CHIT off that same potato! The only problem with growing from chits is that you must start them in a pot, in rich soil, ahead of time, and plant the resulting plants into the soil one at a time. (Chits sown directly into the soil haven't done well for me!) That takes more time than throwing seed potatoes into a trench, but the advantages are numerous... You can grow them 365 days a year! As you saw on the video, there were 4 potatoes on the plant from the one chit I planted in November and transplanted into the bigger pot... (the two you saw, and two more closer to the interior of the cup). And that was in a 16-oz. cup! I could have picked two of those and the plant would happily go on producing. Also, the home gardener might find it to be an advantage to set out plants at numerous times because the harvest will be continual and not all at once as when planted the conventional way. However commercial growers require all their plants to mature all at once. But the biggest advantage in my mind is that you can plant your potatoes and eat them too! Sometimes you can buy organic potatoes at the supermarket in the marked-down section that already have small green chits growing on them. You can plant the chits... and then eat the perfectly good potatoes. OR you could put them under a grow light and get hundreds of chits off one potato! OR you can do both!

[@magpier.5761]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow beautiful, thank you for such an in depth response and ideas! I am curious, how does the indoor planting of the chits effect maturity/dieback? What Im trying to ask is, most seasons when the potato plant dies back the potatoes are ready. Does this method take away from the total outdoor grow time to reach that dieback phase? Or is it not a factor at all?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

It's not a factor since when the individual plant dies back you harvest it. and if you use the method on a larger scale, since you planted them at varying times when the chits were ready you will also have a continuous harvest. If you want a large one-time harvest for winter storage also, just plant another bed the way you normally do.

[@4cfaith]

Yes you CAN grow potatoes from just potato eyes

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Amazing, isn't it?

[@flatsville9343]

Using bagged myco product is more "faith based" than you know. It is often ineffective due to bad storage & shipping methods (temp swings, time & distance) unless you are bying direct from the producer within a short delivery timeframe. I am told the liquid myco holds up better over time. IDK. It's best if you use local myco from your area. A handfull of shredded leaves, backyard leaf mould or home based worm castings made with local shredded leaves gives you what you need at a fraction of the price & the fungi is from your native growing area rather than dying, "foreign" fungi from hundreds & hundreds of miles away.

[@melodyscamman244]

👍👍❤️

[@hoosierpioneer]

I don't understand . He has a tiny potato which he says he previously took 4 chits from. Did he slice them off and it kept chitting with the cuts on it?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Yes, just break them off and plant them and new chits will appear on the original potato under your lights. Just keep them in a box with some damp straw and they'll keeps sending more chits.

[@hoosierpioneer]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow so snap them off rather than cut off with a knife?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

@@hoosierpioneer Use your fingernails rather than a knife to separate them as close to the potato as possible. New chits should form in the same spot to replace them!

[@DustySplinters]

Do you know who the woman was that did this originally? THX

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

No, I sorry I don't. I tried a search and couldn't find her.

[@kenmiller4374]

Where are you guys? Hope you are ok

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I broke my foot a few months back and couldn't go outside at all or get to the computer. A went outside last week for the first time in three months! Hopefully things will get back to normal!

[@katespencer4038]

I am going to try this with my sweet potatoes. I am in zone 9b and too late for regular potatoes Unfortunately

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

If you find a potato with eyes, pick them off and try it anyway in a cup. You don't have anything to lose and a lot of experience to gain!

[@lori-annallen9186]

I did sweet potatoes from only chits last year. Every time I got a chit on a sweet potato, I plucked it off and stuck it in a glass on my windowsill with about a half inch of water in it. All in the same glass. They rooted out, and I just kept enough water in there to cover the roots. Eventually I had to add a couple more glasses because I had so many. I waited for the weather to warm up, and then I transplanted them into 20 gallon grow bags. I also bought some starts for other varieties of sweet potatoes from the nursery that year, but I got the best yield from my free rooted chits. Many pounds per chit. I am excited to do this with normal potatoes now that I know it should work.

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

@@lori-annallen9186 Thanks so much, I do the same thing when the chit gets a few inches tall and already has leaves on it. But are you saying you root them when they are still small, about the size of the potato chits I sprouted? If so, have you ever tried putting the chits directly in the soil, the way you can do with the longer sprouts, with no roots, that already have leaves? Thanks!

[@lori-annallen9186]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow They weren't little nubs or anything quite so small, but not really a whole lot more either. The beginnings of leaves, but no roots. I did not try putting them in soil directly because I don't have space to do so where I can keep them warm enough to hold over for planting out. It wasn't long before they had roots though, and they could have been potted up at that time I'm sure....but, still no space inside. They grew decently happy in just the water for some time, although at least once I took them out and rinsed the cup and replaced the water if it began to look questionable. I don't know if it will be so easy with regular potatoes, but, what is homesteading if not one biology experiment after another? I am willing to find out! I have already learned at least two or three ways potatoes don't work for my plot and resources, so I don't have much to lose but a few chits. (And I know better enough to not put all my eggs in one basket, I'll be trying many methods, and revisiting the one that gave me okay results and seeing how I can do it better.) 💪

[@lori-annallen9186]

@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow I was looking through sources I researched last year, to see if I could remember where I first got the heads up to root sweet potato sprouts in water, and I am pretty sure it was Hollis and Nancys channel, here on KZbin. In case you were interested in checking out the info from the horse's mouth as it were. I am sure they know much more about it than I do, lol.

[@emgeespeaks8397]

Why does a plant do better to start in a small cup rather than a larger po

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

I start them in small cups because they take up less space under my grow lights and on my windowsill. By the time I put them in bigger pots, I can leave them in the greenhouse and not have to move them. With some plants like lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, etc. I can plant 20 or more seeds in a small cup and grow them like that for a few weeks in a very small space, but those plants need to be planted deeper as they usually get leggy and die unless you plant them deeper!

[@kcconaty5270]

Do you think this Chit thingy would work with Sweet Potato’s?

[@LiveOnWhatYouGrow]

Not sure, I'll give it a try!

[@reginacarroll8149]

Thank you