Regrowing potatoes in one season.

I just harvested some Purple Majesty potatoes I planted back in March, and I want to throw some of them back in the ground and get another crop in this summer. Reading Sustainable Market Gardening (Pam Dawling), I discovered they typically need a 6 to 8 week dormancy period before they will sprout. To speed this up, she recommends refrigerating them for 16 days, then pre-sprouting them in light for 2 weeks with apples or onions for ethylene gas.

I'm excited to try this, but I'm curious if anyone has tried this method and has thoughts on their results? Has anyone been able to regrow potatoes in one season by just tossing them back in the ground?

I just harvested and I know I missed some. I'm curious if they will sprout on their own and will it will happen fall vs spring. I'll know soon enough.

I know that the guy from "back to eden garden"....the woodchip guy...does that. He's up in washington state i believe. He harvests potatoes and literally in the same instant throws his largest right back in the hole. Although I am a little confused about your post as I am new to growing potatoes myself...I am in zone 7 and I was told to plant potatoes in early May around the time dandelions bloom. My potatoes will be harvested summer/fall as I planted an early, mid, and late variety. I am curious about how you are harvesting in March? what zone are you?

Adam, I'm not the OP but In Texas we plant in February and harvest now. Sweet potatos slips are prob planted in May. I'm either zone 7 or 8. Central Texas. I'm pretty sure we can get a second planting in now, but Feb is by far the standard here. A freeze will usually come in and kill the tops, but they come right back up. We had the latest freeze I can remember this year. I also got the biggest potatos ever. The freeze didn't contribute, the soil is getting better every year.

Adam Buchler wrote:I am in zone 7 and I was told to plant potatoes in early May around the time dandelions bloom. My potatoes will be harvested summer/fall as I planted an early, mid, and late variety. I am curious about how you are harvesting in March? what zone are you?

I didn't harvest them in March, that is when I planted them, towards the end of the month. They are a pretty quick growing variety and were flowering by the end of May. The tops haven't all died back yet, I just dug some up early to munch on and do this dormancy/chitting experiment. I'm in Zone 7, too, near Asheville, NC.