Pink/red potato

[Richard Watson]

Advice please. I found a tuber last growing season which is the only one Ive seen of it, came from a TPS about 10 years ago. I put one in a pot which grew through the winter inside the tunnelhouse, then planted it out in spring thinking it would grow for the summer but it didn't, instead it died back, in fear of misplacing it I dug out what tubers it grew. Question now is what's best of these considering its mid summer and its a long time to store these till coming spring.

 

[nathanp]

You could try a few things.  One would be try to save some of the largest tubers until next year and replant them.  There are a few things you can do if they start to look dehydrated before next spring.  Also, you could wait about 60 or so days, wait for signs some of them are breaking dormancy, and replant some of them in a container, which you could later move indoors when it gets too cold.  Chances are you would at least get some minitubers that could be saved and replanted next year.

[Richard Watson]

Also, you could wait about 60 or so days, wait for signs some of them are breaking dormancy, and replant some of them in a container, which you could later move indoors when it gets too cold. 

Would chilling some in the fridge for two months help

[nathanp]

The short answer, it will help them stay dormant longer, in general.  Ideal temperature for storage is about 2-3C (35-36F). That works if you do not have a root cellar.  If you want them to resprout quickly in a few months, then I would recommend only keeping them in for about a month, they let them warm to 12-18c (55-65F) until the sprout.  Then only plant after they are sprouting to make sure they do not rot.

[Richard Watson]

Right! , I will do that, thanks