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How to Grow a Potato in a Jar
Start your budding gardener off with a project that will produce yummy results when you show her how to grow potatoes in a jar.
Teach children about growing plants or keep the winter doldrums from taking over by sprouting a potato (Solanum tuberosum) in a glass jar, along with other kitchen produce. Later, you can transplant it directly into the garden or into a container. Since grocery store potatoes can harbor disease, you might not get a harvest of potatoes, but you'll be able to enjoy the lush green foliage. Use a clear jar so you can watch the roots developing.
Things You'll Need
Wide-mouthed glass jar
Water
Potato
4 toothpicks
Step 1
Fill the jar about two-thirds full with water, deep enough to cover half of the potato.
Step 2
Stick the toothpicks around the middle of the potato, spreading them around evenly.
Step 3
Insert the bottom end of the potato into the water and suspend it against the top of the jar by the toothpicks. If your potato already has a growing eye, place that end in the water.
Step 4
Set your jar and potato in a sunny location, as potatoes love full sun. Keep the water level consistent and change the water if it begins to cloud.
Step 5
When the roots are established and the plant has two sets of leaves, transplant it to a pot. Potatoes are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 2 to 11, so you can put your new plant outside in most places during much of the year.
Tip
You can transplant your potato plant into nearly any kind of well-drained container, as long as you allow for about 1 1/2 to 2 feet of depth. If you don't want to use a pot that large, place your potato plant in a large plastic bag, a trashcan or even a tube of chicken wire lined with newspaper or cardboard.
