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On Thu, 4 Mar 2010 18:07:40 -0500, "biig" wrote:

I planted in the container because we have really poor soil and I'm not
able to cultivate. Containers work for me. I only grew the potatoes, but
this year will do some radishes and carrots, also in containers. I have a
selection of potted herbs on an outdoor table through the growing months.

Containers work for many people including Gerry and I. She also grows
herbs in a raised bed during the summer and moves some of them into
the sunroom for the winter.
I just thought that container growing potatoes would result in a
rather small crop.

I'm not really much of a gardener, but use herbs for cooking and just
wanted
to experiment with the potatoes. I actually used russets from my pantry
that had started to sprout. This year, I'll do yukon gold or some such.
It's just a "dabble" into gardening. We are away a lot in the summer with
our camper van so I don't get too involved. What is the difference
between
certified seed potatoes and what I used. My husband's grandfather always
used last year's leftovers to plant a new crop. That was many years ago
though...thanks...Sharon

If the russet potatoes you used were Russet Burbank (Netted Gem) they
are a very long season potato. You will probably have better luck with
mid-season varieties like Yukon Gold and Kennebec, or one of the
popular early varieties like Norland (red skin with white flesh).
If you have access to straw, here's a method you may want to try:
Partially fill your container with soil, lay your seed pieces on the
soil and then cover with about 8 inches of clean straw. As the plants
grow through you can add more straw. Several advantages, less
watering, cleaner more evenly shaped spuds with no digging - just
remove the straw. A word of warning though, don't substitute hay for
the straw. Hay can be loaded with weed seeds.
As to certified seed potatoes, they are grown under fairly strict
conditions and are subject to regular inspections. They will by no
means guarantee disease free planting stock but will substantially
reduce the risk of introducing unwanted "stuff".
Your husband's grandfather is certainly not alone in using some of the
previous year's crop as next year's seed stock. That's pretty well the
way agriculture used to function. We do it here as well but, every few
years we do buy certified seed potatoes.
Our garden is dedicated to open-pollinated and heirloom varieties
where ever possible and we do save seed from tomatoes, beans, peppers,
squash, etc.

Enjoy your garden.

Ross.
Southern Ontario, Canada.
AgCanada Zone 5b
43º 17' 26.75" North
80º 13' 29.46" West

PS...what is the right time to plant? Thanks again.....Sharon