Hi all,

Can I simply grow potatoes from store bought spuds?

Can I just plant a spud that has started to sprout after being in the
cupboard for too long?

Sorry if this is a dumb question!
Cheers,
Mick

I have, but they didnt get as big or as nice as those bought especially for
raising potatoes. Your method is the way grandma and grandpa did it.

Dwayne

"MC" surftravelATyahooDOTcom wrote in message
...
Hi all,

Can I simply grow potatoes from store bought spuds?

Can I just plant a spud that has started to sprout after being in the
cupboard for too long?

Sorry if this is a dumb question!
Cheers,
Mick

g'day mick,

basically yes mate, but there could be some variables ie.,. the spuds
that conventional farmers grow could be a hybrid which may not produce
as well from a seed potato like that, then the general advice is that
we should buy certified disease free seed potatoes so we don't infest
our soil should we end up with diseased potatoes.

ther are lots however that grow from budding potatoes or shop potatoes
if you bought from an organic shop i think you'll do ok.

no dumb questions only silly answers huh lol, just keep asking them
the questions that is.

len

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

"in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gardenlen1/

my e/mail addies have spam filters you should know what to delete before you send.

Thanks Dwayne and Len,

I appreciate the advice! I just recieved a seed catalogue in the mail and
might have to order some certified organic seed spuds just for the job I
reckon ... I don't like the sound of infecting my soil - although, I might
not be able to resist putting a few store bought spudlies down as a
comparison!

What size plot do you need (at what spacing) for a decent return of spuds
for a family of ... wait for it, ... two! lol I only have a small suburban
block too by the way, so space is limited!

Cheers again,
Mick



"len gardener" wrote in message
...
g'day mick,

basically yes mate, but there could be some variables ie.,. the spuds
that conventional farmers grow could be a hybrid which may not produce
as well from a seed potato like that, then the general advice is that
we should buy certified disease free seed potatoes so we don't infest
our soil should we end up with diseased potatoes.

ther are lots however that grow from budding potatoes or shop potatoes
if you bought from an organic shop i think you'll do ok.

no dumb questions only silly answers huh lol, just keep asking them
the questions that is.

len

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

"in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the
environment
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gardenlen1/

my e/mail addies have spam filters you should know what to delete before
you send.

g'day mick i plant mine around 6 to 8"s apart, there are other methods
like growing them in tyres using hay or mulch not my prefferred method
as i'm not sure on what may leach out of tyres. also by creating a
cylinder cage is much the same method. my usual is to just stick them
under a good layer of straw/hay and keep adding as the plants grow.

seasons can be variable, but when they come there is nothing like
eating fresh new potatoes so i can't say how many you will need
experience and results will be the teacher.

len

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

"in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gardenlen1/

my e/mail addies have spam filters you should know what to delete before you send.

Hey hey!

Some interesting info here ... I will keep it in mind - thanks again for
your replies - I am only new to growing for the dinner table (or growing at
all, for that matter), so I just love all the info and opinions I can get!


I am thinking of getting some Desiree certified organic tubers ... anyone
had any luck or got any info on these?

Cheers,
Mick




"Andrew" wrote in message
om...
len gardener wrote in message
. ..
g'day mick,

basically yes mate, but there could be some variables ie.,. the spuds
that conventional farmers grow could be a hybrid which may not produce
as well from a seed potato like that, then the general advice is that
we should buy certified disease free seed potatoes so we don't infest
our soil should we end up with diseased potatoes.

ther are lots however that grow from budding potatoes or shop potatoes
if you bought from an organic shop i think you'll do ok.

no dumb questions only silly answers huh lol, just keep asking them
the questions that is.

len

snipped

Virused plants can be a problem when growing store bought potatoes.
These are often transmitted by sucking insects so buying from organic
stores may actually increase your risk of viruses and other diseases.
The problem is that store bought potatoes are grown for eating.
Therefore, commercial growers don't spend a lot of time ensuring that
the current seasons crop isn't infected by virus. Seed potatoes have
basically been grown in a pest free environment to ensure that the
resultant spuds are disease free. You can weed out any virused
potatoes by allowing them the shoot in a warm bright place. Virused
plants tend to look deformed and spindley. If you're going to resow
potatoes from last year's crop it's probably a good idea to do this
anyway. Depending on how much they've grown, if your spuds have
already sprouted in the cupboard it might be hard to tell whether
deformed spindley growth is due to virus or lack of light.
Andrew

I have bought them before and they have done well. I have put them in tires
and they rotted (too much rain and watering, the tires kept in the water), I
put them inside a wire cage and mulched them with dry grass. The rain made
the grass wet and it started composting. The potatoes rotted again.

The best luck I have had is by raking the dirt together in a raised row,
that was 8 to 10 inches high. Then I pulled the dirt out back to ground
level every 12 to 18 inches. I laid my seed potato in the ground and
covered it with dirt. Then after it started sprouting, I recovered it every
week or so until the row was level again.

At that time I lived in an area that got a lot of rain just before the
potatoes were ready to dig. If you hadnt planted them in a hill you had to
dig them all right away, or they would rot in the ground.

Keep in mind that potatoes grow from the seed potato up. As the potato
grows it sends out roots on which the potatoes form. My first potato
planting was a disaster. I planted them on top of the row and received
about 1 potato for each plant.

Dwayne



"MC" surftravelATyahooDOTcom wrote in message
...
Hey hey!

Some interesting info here ... I will keep it in mind - thanks again for
your replies - I am only new to growing for the dinner table (or growing
at
all, for that matter), so I just love all the info and opinions I can get!


I am thinking of getting some Desiree certified organic tubers ... anyone
had any luck or got any info on these?

Cheers,
Mick