Topic: potatoes: using supermarket spuds

[Laney]

My partner was adamant that he grew potatotes from his parents leftover supermarket spuds as a boy, and that was what we should do. 

I was a good girl though, I bought Catriona seed potatoes, which are chitting(at last, they've taken an age), on top of my wardrobe.  ;D

[philcooper]

I was a good girl though, I bought Catriona seed potatoes, which are chitting(at last, they've taken an age), on top of my wardrobe.  ;D

Maybe we should ask Dan to award stars to list members who are especially good - I'll nominate you for the first one  ;)

Phil

[teresa]

A couple of years ago I got Aaron pilot 10 seed pots and 5 grew into plants the pots were nothing to write home about. I only have half a lottie.
Last year a lottie neighbrough gave me his leftovers to plant again they grew better but size wise and taste were nothing special.
But my self sets ( thats what we call them the kitchen waste bits of potato half rotted that I trench in lottie) they grow into beautiful spuds ok all over lottie so I plant around them but they are early and taste so good.
Yep supermarket spuds Lidl ones.
 Can someone tell me why they are better than bought or given sets?

[glow777]

Potatoes being grown in the Netherlands to produce new crosses

Wow if that was my greenhouse Id narrow the paths and get another row in ;D

[davy1]

What a good thread this has been with loads of good advice dished out and yet it appears some will still grow non seed potato,s in their plot, every one to their own i suppose. I have to confess that i do, BUT They are grown in boxes which are never placed on my garden soil. When i empty a box its in my burning off area And all gets burnt using the soil to kiln. When i have my next fire the outside soil goes to the inside and so it continues
I also keep some of my potato,s back to use as sets the following year, i store them in plastic boxes which have been washed out with a solution of domestos. These spuds are checked regularly and any i think are not up to scratch are removed and burnt.
So while i try and take every precaution it does not mean that i will be virus free.

This is not a recommendation its juist my way of doing it.

[cornykev]

Phil what happens if you have been a naughty boy. ;)    ;D ;D ;D

[tim]

You'll get your comeuppance I'll wager!!

[Jeannine]

With all this discussion can someone  perhaps please tell me why my lottie neighbour about 6 plots from me  says he cannot grow a decent spud and I seem to be OK,he says his are all diisease riddled when he digs them up and it's a waste of space, Should I be nervous that he has something on his plot that I don't?

Second, is it OK to save your own spuds and plant again the next year, I have never done this and I have always bought seed spuds but this year I have ordered heritage plants to get some types that I cannot buy seed spuds of. Am I running a risk with that too.

I don't want to contaminate anything and am getting a bit nervous now. I have grown spuds for years but never got into a discussion about the tubers as I have never so far had a problem and never thought to enquire so ot not a veggie that I feel I know very well.

Thank you Jeannine

[Robert_Brenchley]

He could have wireworm, and you vcould be free of it. It depends on the history of the plots. Have you seen these spuds? Saving seed carries some risk, but I don't know how much. People obviously did it back in the old days, and then bred a new variety now and then when the old became too virus-ridden. People with heritage varieties still do it.

[Trixiebelle]

Can I ask a possibly stupid question - I've been thinking about this all day!

If commercially grown potatoes (sold in supermarkets) have the potential to carry disease, why do the commercial growers continue to grow them?

Surely the next year's crop and the land they were grown on (if diseased) wouldn't be commercially viable anyway as they would yield a poor crop?

Or am I being thick?

Genuine question by the way: I just need to get it straight in my wonky head  ;D

[manicscousers]

they spray everything with stuff !!  :)

[Trixiebelle]

What ... the ground?

[manicscousers]

everything, I have it on good authority they have chemicals we can't get hold of  :o :(

[Trixiebelle]

What SORT of chemicals? Stuff you can make BOMBS out of  :o

That brings a whole new meaning to the concept of the 'spud-gun'.

[manicscousers]

one of the blokes on our plot was offered some weed killer, from a farmer..he was told to wear protective gear, including a mask, and gloves and goggles..it was called burn, i think, we persuaded him not to bother as it might spread on to our plots..weird isn't it, they can use stuff like that and we're restricted, even with  jeyes fluid   ???

[Trixiebelle]

What a horrible story Manics  :( Actually, I now remember a story my Father in Law told me about when he was working on a farm spraying potatoes etc. Apparently, the lads were sent out to spray the crops and one of the drivers of the tractors was poisoned in the cab of the tractor and FIL had to run after the tractor and stop it :(

Scary stuff.

[angle shades]

:)

here in Lincolnshire, notice's are put through your door (if you live near a spud field) to say keep windows and doors closed and don't go outside the day they spray spuds to kill the foilage :o  :o

best reason I know to grow your own/ shades x

[Robert_Brenchley]

What SORT of chemicals? Stuff you can make BOMBS out of  :o

PIRA used to make bombs out of ammonium nitrate fertiliser; when I was at school, one of my colleagues blew up someone's briefcase with sodium chlorate weedkiller. There are all sorts of things you can make them with, so it wouldn't surprise me at all!

[davy1]

The reason we can not get what commercial growers get is because you need a licence
The EU dont make it any easier by the amount of stuff they have banned like you can no longer use Jays Fluid on the soil its for disinfecting only. They will be wanting straight cucumbers next.
TRIXIE Seed potato,s are grown from seed it takes two year they are a first generation potato which is subject to strict inspection during their growth to the time they are sent to the farmer and us and should be disease free as they have never been grown or stored out of a controlled environment.
Supermarket potato,s are from the above but they are bagged and sold on, the plot holders potato,s the same. Providing your soil is disease free you should not have a diseased potato. Its from this point on when the problem starts if you keep sets back or use supermarket spuds as spores are airborne and can be carried on the wind or if not stored properly disease can be transmitted ETC
So if you plant these second generation potato,s you could could be putting disease into your own soil
I think thats about right

[RSJK]

Well as an ex Market Gardener, who's family used to grow potatoes, are meathod was to buy 20 tonne of scotch certified seed potatoes each year and to plant about 10 tonne of own saved seed each year. Both produced good crops and you could not tell which came from the certified potato. Potatoes from the certified seed were stored in a different shed to the others and seed potatoes were selected from these when they were put over the riddle to use as seed for the next year. Potatoes were not saved for seed from the ones which were not grown from certified seed that year.With not knowing if farmers still use this meathod I would not advise anyone to grow seed from Supermarkets etc as you would not know if it was certified seed they were grown from, But on the other side of the coin if there was  no certified seed  what would happen ?  :-\ :-\