Starting to grow potatoes for the first time

[littlemoney]

Having learnt I can use my supermarket potatoes as seed potatoes and am going to have my first attempt at growing them.

I have just place 4 potatoes a window cill in an old egg box. It's north facing and about 14 degrees. Is this the right conditions or too warm or too cool. I read it should be an unheated room but not what temperature.

I also have an older large potato of unknown variety in my potato storage bag that has started to sprout. Can I cut it in half and use it as two seed potatoes or would cutting cause problems? Thanks.

[Muddy_Boots]

In my opinion supermarket potatoes can be used just as well as bought seed potatoes and can be a cheap way of starting to have a go at growing potatoes (wilko's ones are cheap enough anyway), these don't need to be expensive and if you buy seed potatoes they are usually all of a uniform size and smallish and are guaranteed to be good stock.

I put my seed potatoes in seed trays and just make sure the eyes are upish so the shoots are coming out at the rightish angle out tuber. Its always best to have them in normal light, they don't need to be on a window sill just in a room and its best for the room to have no heating. Large potatoes can be cut in half or even in 3 or 4 bits as long as there is a visible eye on that bit of potato it will grow shoots, they tend to just seal themselves after cutting just ensure the knife blade is clean so you don't introduce anything to start them rotting. Using egg boxes is a good way of ensuring the eyes ARE pointing up.

Grow spuds is a good first start veggie and are easy to do to encourage you to start growing other things later.