Topic: Potatoes

[bluehousehill]

Hi I have been chitting potatoes in my shed. I have some I got from a nursery and some I kept to one side from the supermarket. I read somewhere that if supermarket garlic is used for seed it might have disease. Is this the same with potatoes?
cheers Dale

[OllieC]

Well they won't be certified virus free unless they were seed potatoes. When I was a kid they grew seed spuds around where I lived, and a farmer told me you could use chemicals on them that you can't use on food crops. This is why you get better quality spuds for seed, and mustn't eat them... lots of effort goes to making them this way.

You might get away with it if you use normal spuds, but unless you're completely skint you should use seed ones...

[bluehousehill]

Thanks for that I will get some more seed potatoes. cheers

[OllieC]

Of course, on the other hand, my uncle who's mainly a fruit farmer & should know better, plants supermarket ones - even though he'd never dream of cutting corners with fruit stock... and plenty of people do get away with "normal" ones... but persnally I'll pay a few quid to avoid putting in all the hard work & getting disappointing results.

Good luck!

[kenkew]

Also consider the method used on food potatoes to kill the haulm! If you're putting a crop down, it's always best to use certified seeds. (My mother has always used tattie peelings to grow a few in a bucket....and she's 86!)

[bluehousehill]

Cheers I think I was suffering from a bit of tightness!The missus is holding the purse strings and the allotment has got to be on a budget but I need to buy seeds. Think its great that they are still planting at eighty six. Superb

[manicscousers]

wilkies still had a few seed potatoes in, quite reasonable  :)