Using ordinary potatoes instead of Seed Potatoes.

[inearlygaveup]

I keep reading about people using supermarket potatoes as (seed potatoes)
Seeing as you can buy a big bag of King Edwards for £1 at my local supermarket.

Does it work - is it worth it.
Any advice please

[jacob marley]

It is only worth it if they will chit and grow i tried to grow some Mayan Gold that i bought from Tesco's last year and they would not chit .
I think snadger tried the same with the same result they spray them with chit supresent when they store them and that put's the kibosh on the job .
Other Grapes have sucess with supermarket spud's but not me....jacob

[tattieman]

I would always say never to use supermarket potatoes.
What is their health status? do they contain virus? Blackleg? have they been treated with sprout represant so that they don't chit? it could be the most costly pound you ever spend or it could be fine but you wouldn't know until it is too late.
Try a couple in a pot just to be safe if you are wanting to try them.

[lottie dolly]

my son does this with excellent results,there is a thread from last year,saying how some peeps have kept some back for this very purpose,in the salad draw of the fridge,this i have done,and am pleased to say they look fine,my intentions are to plant them this year and see what i get,

[Snadger]

When you buy seed tatties you are paying for pest, disease, virus free stock.
Spuds can be grown from supermarket tatties......in fact my dear old Dad grew nothing else......but he used up the old spuds that had sprouted in the bottom of the bag!
I have a bag of 'British Queen' that were being sold off at Tesco's for half price and I'm going to give these a go out of interest.

My main spuds will be 'proppa' seed potatoes but I will grow a few home saved seed, supermarket spuds and self saved 'real seed' potatoes this year.

By all means have a bit of an experiment, but if you want guaranteed crops you need to plant specially grown seed potatoes!

PS Probably best to grow your experiments in containers so they are in a controlled environment!

[inearlygaveup]

umm still unsure..............its a big risk I might just try a few this year.

[Snadger]

umm still unsure..............its a big risk I might just try a few this year.

If you're only doing a few ...........deffo use pots/buckets!

[inearlygaveup]

right thanks

[sarraceniac]

If you're only doing a few ...........deffo use pots/buckets!

I had some salad potatoes left last (2007) Christmas which chitted in Feb. So in March I popped them into a galvanised dustbin. They did fine as first earlies but didn't crop very heavily. And I agree Snadger, I wouldn't have risked them in my beds.

[lynda66]

i only grew supermarket spuds last year, loads sprouted in the cupboard, and other than the wind and rain they grew fine, have saved some of the offspring for planting this year, but will get some seed spuds too.

[Gwen11ian]

If you can buy a big bag for £1 is it really worth the effort, resources, and time growing it? Better to grow some varieties you can't purchase in your local Tesco's, or else use that space for something that is expensive to purchase or tastes much better home grown (ie. asparagus or fresh peas).

[bubblewrap]

I will be using some of last years crop as seed.

[burnie]

Maybe if you bought from a farmers market rather than a supermarket,you'll find more interesting varieties too.

[Wren]

I tried using some sainsbury's Anya potatoes just to see , and although they grew just fine, the yield from six taties was only enough for two small meals. By comparison the 'pentland javlin' that a grew from seed tatties purchased at whyvale kept me going in new potatoes for weeks an weeks. A fantastic yield that i harvested when needed without pulling up the whole plant an the smaller tatties i left to grow on .

I will buy seed potatoes me thinks, they dont cost much and if posts on here are anything to go by, they certainly give you a much higher yeild for you money. In addition you have a better choice of verities and disease resistance with seed tatties. I remember how gutted our Lynda66 were at digging up rotten potatoes after they looked so healthy from shop tatties. I were gutted for her too

Wren

[Hans Mum]

If you can buy a big bag for £1 is it really worth the effort, resources, and time growing it? Better to grow some varieties you can't purchase in your local Tesco's, or else use that space for something that is expensive to purchase or tastes much better home grown (ie. asparagus or fresh peas).

i'm of this frame of mind too.....i couldn't grow enough spuds to keep us going all year round, so i just grow the varieties you cant get in the supermarkets or those that are really expensive when they first arrive like jersey royals