Can You Grow Potatoes from Peels?

Why a peel can sprout at all

The eyes of a potato are buds. Each one can grow a shoot, and the shoot can grow roots and become a new plant. That's why seed potatoes are cut into pieces with at least one eye each. A strip of peel with an eye still has that bud, so under the right conditions it can sprout.

Why a whole seed piece works better

The flesh of a potato is stored food. A seed piece about 1¼ inches across, the size University of Minnesota Extension recommends, gives the new shoot enough energy to grow until its own leaves can feed it. A peel gives it almost nothing. Thin peels also dry out within hours, and wet ones rot quickly, so most pieces never sprout. Those that do usually make a spindly plant that struggles to fill tubers.

How to try it

• Use a potato that's already sprouting, or one with plenty of eyes. Organic potatoes are less likely to be treated with a sprout inhibitor.
• Peel thickly around each eye, keeping a chunk of flesh behind it, rather than taking a thin strip.
• Let the pieces dry at room temperature for a day, so the cut faces seal.
• Lay them eye side up on damp perlite or coco coir, and cover them lightly. Don't float them in water, where they rot.
• Keep them somewhere bright and warm, and keep the medium damp but not wet.

If a shoot appears and grows a few leaves with healthy roots, you can move it into a Kratky container like any sprouted potato. See how to grow potatoes in water for how to make the move.

What to expect

Expect most pieces to fail and the survivors to start slowly. A piece that is still bare and firm after a few weeks is unlikely to sprout, and one that turns soft or moldy should go in the compost. A plant from a peel can make a few small tubers if it gets strong light and a long enough season, but it rarely matches a plant grown from a whole seed piece. It's a good way to show children how a potato grows, or to use up a sprouting potato, and less useful for a real harvest.

A side-by-side test

To turn it into a real experiment, prepare three pieces from the same sprouting potato: a thin strip of peel with an eye, a thick piece of peel with a chunk of flesh behind the eye, and a cut seed piece about 1¼ inches across. Lay all three on the same damp medium, in the same light, and note the date. Check them every couple of days and write down which ones sprout, how fast, and how strong the shoots look. Most of the time, the results show exactly why growers plant whole seed pieces.

The same rules apply

Peels from store-bought potatoes carry the same limits as the potatoes themselves: some are treated to stop sprouting, and none are inspected for disease. Keep the experiment away from garden potatoes and tomatoes, and never eat potato sprouts or green peel. If you'd like a proper crop, see growing potatoes from store-bought potatoes for a fair test of a whole potato, or start with certified seed.

Sources

• University of Minnesota Extension, "Growing potatoes in home gardens"