Here is a progress report on our Mr. Potato project:
Back in March, Gracie’s grandmother assembled the parts for a fun project to do with kids I wanted to share with everyone. I called it Mr. Potatohead. I can remember from my own childhood doing the same project, and I thought Gracie would have fun watching her potato grow too.
We followed the instructions and half submerged the potato in a bowl of water. See earlier post http://www.greensideupblog.com/?p=67#more-67 . Well, as it turns out, the project was a complete flop…… Even though we regularly changed the water, the potato only put out one scrawny root and then eventually rotted. And now from this experience, I can tell you that a rotting potato is deceptive. From the outside all looks well, like it is a normal happy potato, but the inside has secretly been turning to mush. Word of warning….never pick up a rotten potato with your bare hands! I’ll spare you the photos. Suffice to say it is messy, stinky, and a pain to clean off your hardwood floors.
And now for the good news: Undeterred, we decided to make a second go of it. Grandma Maggie bought another potato, but this time I decided to let it develop some shoots first. I left the potato in a dry dark cabinet for about one month, and as you can see, the buds developed as expected. Now Gracie is going to give it another shot to see if we can make this one grow like I remember as a kid. Thanks Grandma Maggie. Keep you fingers crossed.
Rees
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Ew. I hope she has better luck this time.
So far so good. As of 6/2 there were many nice fiburous roots developing and a few leaves starting to open. Once that happens look out!
Rees
The first potato probably had been sprayed with a sprout inhibitor – they do it so it keeps in the grocery store longer without forming the eyes. That’s why, if you grow your own, you need to order seed potatoes or else by some organic potatoes.
Hey RobG thanks for the information. That makes perfect sense. Another great reason to wash go organic.
The second attempt was a success and I will be posting the results shortly.
Craig