Growing and Saving Potatoes from Micro Tubers

HISTORY

Native to the Andes of South America, potato cultivation dates back 7,000 to 10,000 years ago. This nutritious tuber travelled with conquistadors back to Europe in the 16th century and quickly spread across the globe as a staple food crop.

USES

• Myriad culinary uses

When Plants Arrive:

• Micro tubers are miniature seed potatoes, averaging about the size of a marble! They are grown much like standard-sized seed potato tubers, but they are extra small and rigorously examined for high quality. Micro tubers are propagated in a state-of-the-art tissue culture lab, which creates a more disease-free seed potato. A few of the reasons that we love micro tubers: they are known to be more disease resistant, and they are a great "bang for your buck" as a small bag of micro tubers will result in tons of large potatoes in just a few months!
  

• Micro tubers should NOT be cut (like seed potatoes often are) and need to be planted whole. If you can not plant your tubers right away, be sure to store them in a cool, dark dry location (45 F is ideal temp).
• Do not store in the refrigerator.
• Potatoes can be planted before your last frost date in spring. Keep in mind that they prefer the soil to be above 45 F and they do not tolerate soggy, waterlogged soil. You can plant in ground, in potato bags or boxes, or raised beds; there are lots of options. Be sure to select a site with full sun and well-draining soil.
• Plant micro tubers about 2 inches deep (taking care not to cover them too deeply as this can inhibit growth). Once the plants have sprouted you can hill the soil up along the stems as the plants grow through the season.
• Space plants about 12 inches apart in rows 2-2.5 feet apart.
• Keep plants well watered to ensure high yields, reducing water as the plants mature and foliage turns yellow.
• Harvest tubers on a dry day, a few weeks after the foliage has died back.

PESTS/SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS

• Curing ensures that the tubers will not rot in storage. Be sure to dig potatoes on a dry day and set them to cure in a warm (ideal temp is 65 F), dark, dry location for a week to 10 days. Transition tubers to a well-ventilated storage area kept at 38-40 F.

• Micro tuber potatoes will grow into a full-sized plant with normal (not micro) sized tubers. The tubers that you select to save for subsequent plantings should be of average size and high quality. Potatoes will fruit, but the seeds will not breed true. That is why potatoes are propagated from tubers instead of seeds.
• Provide ideal storage conditions in order to keep your tubers over winter until the following spring planting date. Be sure to cure tubers before storing, and store cured tubers in a cool, dark, dry location. Ideal storage temperature is 38-40 F.
• Provide good air circulation in your storage area to discourage rot.