Old potato coming up from last year ?

lakelady · May 7, 2017

I finally got around to finishing up spring clean up in the yard and bagging another 30 bags of leaves (ugh I know). In clearing out the leftover hay mulch and some leaves out of one bed, lo and behold, a little potato plant is growing. I guess I missed one last summer, and I know it was a little purple potato I'd grown on a lark from the farmers market. So, my question is, will a complete plant grow this year from this old potato and is it safe to eat them? If not, I'll yank it out.

I didn't do much as far as "hilling" as I'd never really grown potatoes before but thought what the heck for fun, let's put these in here and see what we get. I got a nice little bunch of tiny purple potatoes , they were so cute!

Nattybo! · May 7, 2017

I think it will be fine

. I get volunteers in my compost pile all the time. Enough for a meal or two. I love potatoes. They were my gateway plant

brownrexx · May 7, 2017

Yes you will get a complete plant and the potatoes will be perfectly safe to eat. You will get more potatoes if you hill up with either soil or mulch around the stems as the plant grows because the new potatoes will grow from the stems.

lakelady · May 9, 2017

great, thanks guys!

I'm moving my beds around (next year I need new boards for the individual beds, they're rotting at the bottom), and I was trying to figure out where everything is going to move or be planted when I saw that little plant peeking up. I have more to plant this year, so I'll definately be hilling the rows.

The groundhog didn't seem to notice the potatoes, he was too busy destroying my cukes and squash and greens. Looks like tomatoes and potatoes are safe....for now!

Nattybo! · May 9, 2017

My resident ground hog loves green tomatoes. Especially the biggest ones. He would bite two on this plant then mosey over and bite two more on another plant. That big tomato over there in another row needs a big bite taken out of it too.

I have to make cages for the bottom of the tomato plants with wire mesh. I think it was called rat wire? Got it from lowes or Home Depot. Keeps turtles off my tomatoes too.

Tjlance1 · June 1, 2017

This is the first time in 3 seasons we replanted potatoes as they have been coming up on their own. Even with replanting, we have 5 or 6 separate potato plants coming back from last year..only issue is those danged Colorado potato beetles.

May 7, 2017	#1
lakelady Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: northern NJ zone 6b Posts: 1,862	Old potato coming up from last year ? I finally got around to finishing up spring clean up in the yard and bagging another 30 bags of leaves (ugh I know). In clearing out the leftover hay mulch and some leaves out of one bed, lo and behold, a little potato plant is growing. I guess I missed one last summer, and I know it was a little purple potato I'd grown on a lark from the farmers market. So, my question is, will a complete plant grow this year from this old potato and is it safe to eat them? If not, I'll yank it out. I didn't do much as far as "hilling" as I'd never really grown potatoes before but thought what the heck for fun, let's put these in here and see what we get. I got a nice little bunch of tiny purple potatoes , they were so cute! __________________ Antoniette

May 9, 2017	#4
lakelady Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: northern NJ zone 6b Posts: 1,862	great, thanks guys! I'm moving my beds around (next year I need new boards for the individual beds, they're rotting at the bottom), and I was trying to figure out where everything is going to move or be planted when I saw that little plant peeking up. I have more to plant this year, so I'll definately be hilling the rows. The groundhog didn't seem to notice the potatoes, he was too busy destroying my cukes and squash and greens. Looks like tomatoes and potatoes are safe....for now! __________________ Antoniette

May 7, 2017	#2
Nattybo! Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Maryland Posts: 272	I think it will be fine . I get volunteers in my compost pile all the time. Enough for a meal or two. I love potatoes. They were my gateway plant

May 7, 2017	#3
brownrexx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Southeastern PA Posts: 1,420	Yes you will get a complete plant and the potatoes will be perfectly safe to eat. You will get more potatoes if you hill up with either soil or mulch around the stems as the plant grows because the new potatoes will grow from the stems.

June 1, 2017	#6
Tjlance1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Rehoboth, MA Posts: 4	This is the first time in 3 seasons we replanted potatoes as they have been coming up on their own. Even with replanting, we have 5 or 6 separate potato plants coming back from last year..only issue is those danged Colorado potato beetles.