Planting Seed Potatoes vs Store bought potatoes.

MrBooker 3/29/2023, 1:41 pm

Three days ago we bought some Kennebec seed potatoes with hardly any sprouts on them but have started sprouting since. Today, my wife looked in the pantry and found that the Kennebec potatoes we bought at Wal-Mart a few weeks ago were sprouting beautifully.

I know, some folks say don't plant store bought potatoes but there's a lot of You Tube videos that say it's ok.

This first picture is the seed potatoes.

Planting Seed Potatoes vs Store bought potatoes. Seed_p10

These are the Store bought potatoes.

Planting Seed Potatoes vs Store bought potatoes. Potato15

**sanderson** 3/29/2023, 2:56 pm

As far as I know, the only real difference is that commercial seed potatoes are disease free. Store potatoes are usually treated to retard sprouting, not prevent it. Everyone knows they will eventually sprout.

MrBooker 3/29/2023, 3:39 pm

sanderson wrote:As far as I know, the only real difference is that commercial seed potatoes are disease free. Store potatoes are usually treated to retard sprouting, not prevent it. Everyone knows they will eventually sprout.

A few years ago, I through some potato peelings in my compost pile and they grew some decent potatoes.

markqz 3/29/2023, 11:49 pm

I've never had much luck with regular potatoes of any provenance, but the store-bought sweet potatoes I planted (or are they yams?) really went to town, over-running their box, prying apart the 2 inch thick walls of the bed (non-SFG), and lifting it off the ground. One of the roots I harvested weighed 12 pounds and had to be cut up with a handsaw (yes, still tasted fine).

Sure wish I liked sweet potatoes.

sweetcatkins 4/9/2023, 12:09 pm

Potatoes are the gift that keeps on giving! We haven't bought seed potatoes in years. Whenever I have a sprouted potato I give it to the hubs and he plants it in the big traditional garden in the corner of the yard.

**sanderson** 4/9/2023, 3:48 pm

markqz wrote:I've never had much luck with regular potatoes of any provenance

Too warm down there? 7" of MM works great.
https://www.mastergardenersd.org/downloads/VegetablePlantingGuide.pdf

but the store-bought sweet potatoes I planted (or are they yams?) Sure wish I liked sweet potatoes.

They were sweet potatoes. There's no mixing up yams and SP.

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