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Questions and Answers: 2015

Question: I recently tried a "new", at least for me, way of planting seed potatoes. I used a posthole digger in …

• Question

  I recently tried a "new", at least for me, way of planting seed potatoes. I used a posthole digger in a Deep Bed Garden to plant the seeds 15" deep in the soft soil of the deep bed. Since it is a new technique i had never heard of, i was skeptical that the seedlings would find their way to the surface before using up all the energy stored in the tuber. However, to my delight, they have all surfaced and are growing strongly. My question is, How did the potato plants "KNOW" to grow UP?

  Answer

  Dear skipwillis82, the embryo in a plant seed is negatively gravitropic, meaning it grows away from the pull of gravity. That way, regardless of the depth and orientation of the seed, the seedling always grows upward toward the light of day. Best wishes.