Pick your own seed potatoes

[veg4681]

Is it possible to buy seed potatoes this way as you do with assortments of flowering bulbs that you sometime see in garden centre? Given the choice, I'd prefer to try out as many as 10 variety of tatties but only grow 3 tubers per variety.

I don't think I have access to a Potato Day event near enough for me. Someone I know said his daughter gets her seed potatoes from Allotment Office (anyone know this arrangement?) but it's proving impossible to extract any more details on variety and pricing. B&Q is handy but their range is a little too mainstream and qty too much just for experimenting.

I may still resort to T&M with big order to give away half of my stock to my son's nursery (in the hope of encourging kids' parents into GYO & home composting...worthy cause enough).

[Hazel at the Hill]

Hi Veg - Ryton (Coventry) have a potato day first weekend in Feb, and I know that there's a potato supplier in Nuneaton who sells individual tubers as well as Hirons in Perry Bar.

Hope that helps.

[sewer rat]

Some smaller independent garden centres may still sell potato tubers by number as opposed to weight. I have one up here who does (or did two years ago anyway) and who stocks a fairly wide variety of earlies and maincrops.
Might be worth ringing round a few if there any in your area ?

[shirlthegirl43]

There is a garden centre near me that sells the seed spuds that way. It is great to buy a few of different types and see which taste/crop best for you.

[Glasshousevirgin]

Faced with the similar outlook and the fact there is only two of us to eat it all I have checked out the catalogues and gone for a similar approach.
Some suppliers do collections for you supplying variety in smaller quantities.
I have to hand Dobies, T and M and Suttons catalogues that you could access online.
Still too many in a pack for my liking but a good compromise.
Hope this helps you

[Seahorse]

I had the same dilemma. In the end I've gone for a combo of B&Q + Alan Romans and just accepted that I'll give away the surplus to other lottie holders (or try to). If anyone wants to cover the postage for a tuber or two of Alan R's heritage stuff, PM me for what varieties I'm getting and we can sort something out!

[smallblueplanet]

One of the garden centres round our way sells by number/weight and they have a biggish selection. So we will be buying from them as we like to try as many varieties as 'reasonable' .

[Glasshousevirgin]

seems T and M do as little as 5 of some varieties for £1.99 from further probing

[veg4681]

seems T and M do as little as 5 of some varieties for £1.99 from further probing

BTW welcome to the vine .

But the 5 tubers for £1.99 packs are only for very few potatoes namely Vivaldi and Anya which I can buy as eating potato from Sainsbury (for growing in pots/buckets only). Any potato variety that I'm able to buy from shops (provided they're not foreign with what nasties they may carry), I will not buy the seed potatoes.

If you find someone to share your potato order to the value of £16 & over, the P&P is only £2.99 with T&M and if your total order is over £19, they throw in free 20 tubers of Ulster Sceptre...very tempting . If you can share the order, it works out the cheapest for the most exclusive of potato variety at roughly £1.66 for 10 tubers (not counting P&P). I notice that T&M does not distinguish between mainstream and exclusive potato but AlanRomans.com does so you know which ones are the expensive ones.

[Glasshousevirgin]

Thx for welcome, always nice to participate and get info as well as give benefit of my experiences.
My order is for 3 different sets of 5 of some I think I will like. (Charlottes,Mimi and Mayan Gold )
Don't seem to have thrown in the Sceptres but I hope they do as spent £40 total.
Not a huge tater fan so happy with compromise.
Good luck finding a deal that suits you.

[veg4681]

Thx for welcome, always nice to participate and get info as well as give benefit of my experiences.
My order is for 3 different sets of 5 of some I think I will like. (Charlottes,Mimi and Mayan Gold )
Don't seem to have thrown in the Sceptres but I hope they do as spent £40 total.
Not a huge tater fan so happy with compromise.
Good luck finding a deal that suits you.

You're welcome.

Sorry have you already ordered and your seed potato order is £40? On the shopping basket screen, it says if you spend £19 and over, you qualify for free Ulster Sceptre but you have to enter the qty 1 (defaulted at 0) yourself against the Sceptre line otherwise possibly you won't...which may be sneaky of them! You could enquire...

[veg4681]

Hi Veg - Ryton (Coventry) have a potato day first weekend in Feb, and I know that there's a potato supplier in Nuneaton who sells individual tubers as well as Hirons in Perry Bar.

Thanks but Ryton is a bit out of my way (my DH moans it'll be expensive potatoes with the driving). Now Perry Bar is closer, I gather Hirons is a garden centre but they must be better for seed potatoes or you'd go to GC in Sutton Coldfield . Is it near a train station, I know there is a stop at Perry Bar?

I had the same dilemma. In the end I've gone for a combo of B&Q + Alan Romans and just accepted that I'll give away the surplus to other lottie holders (or try to). If anyone wants to cover the postage for a tuber or two of Alan R's heritage stuff, PM me for what varieties I'm getting and we can sort something out!

What are the fancy heritage stuffs did you get from Alan Romans, the ones from Conservation potato section? Sorry just being curious.

One of the garden centres round our way sells by number/weight and they have a biggish selection. So we will be buying from them as we like to try as many varieties as 'reasonable' .

What are the many varieties as reasonable are you getting, 20 ?

[Glasshousevirgin]

You're welcome.

Sorry have you already ordered and your seed potato order is £40? On the shopping basket screen, it says if you spend £19 and over, you qualify for free Ulster Sceptre but you have to enter the qty 1 (defaulted at 0) yourself against the Sceptre line otherwise possibly you won't...which may be sneaky of them! You could enquire...

I should phone them really shouldn't I?
It all happened as you order online from kitchen garden site (like pots and onion sets) and seeds goes to another site and they combine the payment but not the benefits of total outlay.

Thanks for the encouragement to get it sorted.
cheers

[Seahorse]

What are the fancy heritage stuffs did you get from Alan Romans, the ones from Conservation potato section? Sorry just being curious.

Quite a few

Edzell Blue
Belle de Fontenay
Arran Victory
Pink Fir Apple
Sarpo Mira
Yetholm Gypsy (Mr Little's)

And also a special offer package with:

Salad Blue
Highland Burgundy Red
Shetland Black

It's the first time I've grown spuds and there are hardly any unusual varieties for sale locally (that I've seen) so I thought I'd have an experiment with choice!

[veg4681]

Quite a few

Edzell Blue
Belle de Fontenay
Arran Victory
Pink Fir Apple
Sarpo Mira
Yetholm Gypsy (Mr Little's)

And also a special offer package with:

Salad Blue
Highland Burgundy Red
Shetland Black

It's the first time I've grown spuds and there are hardly any unusual varieties for sale locally (that I've seen) so I thought I'd have an experiment with choice!

I see your point, they're extremely exclusive . I don't blame you. How much do you reckon postage would cost for a tuber or two?