Topic: supermarket spuds

[woody]

Found some old baking spuds that are chitting, am i right in thinking that they will produce, i have heard good and bad stories. I think there more desease prone but its got to be worth a go, and cheaper too!!!

[saddad]

It is bad practice, because of the risk of disease apassed through the tubers, seed pots are certified virus free. But it would crop as you say.  :-X

[woody]

Is there a small case of scare tactics so you HAVE to buy seed spuds...i mean will they kill you...

[ceres]

It's not passing disease to people woody, it's the risk of introducing viral disease into your soil from potatoes that aren't certified as disease free.  Seed potatoes in the UK are strictly controlled.  Supermarket potatoes aren't.  It's your choice as to whether you think the risk is worth taking.

One way round it might be to grow them in containers and dispose of the spent compost afterwards.

[woody]

Thats a great shout, it just amazes me that people don't do it more, seeing as were all "cheaper minded" grow your own folk...if you know what i mean :P

[beckydore]

I've got the same issue with my potatoes left over from last year.
The seed potatoes I bought last year were from a grower so obviously should be disease free. The resultant potatoes seemed to be fine.
I have got 2 small bags of seed potatoes and am going to also plant some of last years stock in a separate bed. What do people who grow heritage potatoes do?

[Bjerreby]

I'd say be really careful.

Here in Denmark, commercial growers must have their seed potatoes certified every second year. A month ago, I got seed potatoes from a local farmer, and this was the year they DIDN'T need certifying. Well, after 2 weeks of chitting it was clear that most of them were diseased! Oozing black stuff, long white sprouts, both of which I am told are symptoms of disease.

Compared to this, I bought 7 kg of nicola seed potatoes, certified, and they are perfectly healthy and vigorous. The odd thing is, the healthy and the diseased potatoes cost me the same. :(

[tomatoada]

Is there a rule somewhere that only certified seed potatoes should be used on allotments?

[Barnowl]

I'd also strongly advise against using potatoes from France etc;  ring rot and brown rot are  prevalent in the EU.

Is there a rule somewhere that only certified seed potatoes should be used on allotments? 

No rule that I'm aware of, but I wouldn't want to be the one to introduce a virus to my allotment. Grow in bags then if there's any nastiness you can dispose of carefully without affecting your plot.

[saddad]

If you keep doing it the viruses do build up... I grew Aura from micro tubers provided by HSL but after about 8 years the yeild had tailed off to such a degree I gave them up...  :-\

[Robert_Brenchley]

Viruses won't last outside living tissue, but they are spread by aphids. This is why seed potatoes are grown in Scotland; it's far enough north not to have an aphid problem till late in the season.

[STEVEB]

Never new that robert.