As spring approaches , I get word a lot of people talking about growing those old , to a great extent shoot potatoes that you find at the bottom of your buttery or buying potato to plant from the store because seed potato are so expensive . This is another gardening topic that gets a lot of attention online . However , most of the article take a strong side , rather than clearly laying out the pros and cons . This post will go into great point about the subject , giving you all the information you need to make your own option .
When you grow potatoes from tubers , the biggest trouble is that you might introduce disease from the Tuber into the plant . Other job include chemicals that discontinue sprouting , former tubers , and the probability of growing a GMO potato diversity by stroke .
Solanum tuberosum Tuber can hold a mountain of diseases . Pests and diseases are defective for plants that reproduce without pollination , like potatoes , which are seldom rise from seminal fluid . intimate reproduction is a barrier to many plant pathogen , so seeded player tend to spread less disease . Tubers do not go through this generational pause , so they accumulate disease indefinitely . Disease has long been the great exposure of potatoes . Before modern farming , potato miscellany commonly “ ran out , ” or were thrown out , when they incur too many disease to grow . you’re able to not tell if a potato is diseased by looking at it . A tuber might look completely intelligent , but once you put it in your garden , it might move around out to be sick . Potatoes that have been yoke to disease are often sold as food , with the understanding that they wo n’t be used for planting . Farmers wo n’t buy seed potatoes at the grocery memory board , but a lot of people who garden at home do .
There are a mickle of virus on ware potatoes ( white potato that are meant to be sold as food ) and even some viruses on attest seed potatoes . It can be voiceless for people who do n’t arise murphy often to pick out viral diseases on the plants because they do n’t usually belt down them . The primary symptom is a reduction in yield and is often blamed on arise conditions . Some viruses get bad from one crop to the next , leaving you with a very misfortunate harvest in the death . Other viruses can stay in potatoes for many generations without changing the yield much . What you need to know about viruses is that they stay in the potatoes and are spread by insect and lineal striking . It only takes a unforesightful time for all of your potatoes to get infect after adding potatoes that have viruses to your garden . For the casual grower , there is no direction to get rid of the computer virus . To start over with a sporting crop , you require to get rid of all the potatoes in your garden .
When the urge strikes to grow your own potatoes , you may not want to wait to order cum white potato online . as luck would have it , average potatoes from the grocery store can substitute in a pinch to plant a craw at home . While not idealistic , store buy potatoes can acquire a harvest with proper tutelage
In this clause , we ’ll look at tip for choose , prepping and embed regular potatoes to grow your own tater . With a little know - how , those larder staples can transform into homegrown green goods with full flavor .
Can You Grow Potatoes from the Grocery Store?
The short answer – yes ! While specialty seed white potato vine are bred for characteristics like disease resistance and high takings , standard comestible potatoes can readily be planted
Any healthy white potato vine has the capacity to grow give suitable soil , sunlight and water . Certain variety departure be between table Solanum tuberosum and germ but with adjustments , market place potatoes make decent substitutes .
When using memory bought potatoes , focalise on blame executable Tuber , preventing disease and encouraging lots of below - ground growing for a sizable craw . With attentive care , they can produce potatoes while you source true semen for future years .
Choosing Store Potatoes for Planting
When take store bought potatoes to grow , look for :
steadfast Tuber – avoid purse or mushy potatoes
entire skin – no major cuts , bruises or light-green while
intermediate size – golf ball to egg sized genus Tuber develop well
Healthy snowy sprout – with no darkening or decay
unmarried sprouting eye – ward off weak divided growing
right potato variety candidates include russet , reds , Yukon golds , purplish Peruvian and new potatoes . nullify pre - emasculated , pre - seasoned or old sprouting potatoes .
Prepping Store Potatoes for Planting
Before plant grocery store potatoes :
Let tubers sprout shoots a few column inch long in a warm spot .
Cut large tuber into golf game chunk sized small-arm with at least 2 eye .
lease trim seed piece dry out out 1 - 2 days until skin callus over cut .
Discard any potatoes with mold , shriveling or green pelt .
address seed potatoes gently to avoid prejudicious emerge sprouts .
Proper prep prevents molder and give sprouts a head start when embed . Take tending not to transmit diseases through cutting utensil between tuber .
How to Plant Store Bought Potatoes
Once spud and prepped , industrial plant store bought potatoes :
In a cheery billet enriched with compost and constitutional matter .
About 4 - 6 inches deep spaced 1 groundwork aside in rows 2 feet aside .
With sprout eye face up and other eyes facing sidewise .
Covering ejaculate pieces with soil , mulch or straw to prevent frost scathe .
In conjure bed , big container or potato grow suitcase add together supernumerary drainage .
Surrounding plants with a 8 - 12 inch soil ridge as shoot progress to 6 inch magniloquent .
potato perform well in slightly acidic grunge ( pH 6.0 - 7.0 ) with consistent moisture and nutrients . Fertilize at planting and midseason .
Ongoing Care When Growing Store Potatoes
To aid grocery storehouse potatoes thrive :
Water 1 - 2 inches weekly . Increase during flowering and genus Tuber formation .
mound / cumulus mixing or mulch around stems as plant grow to 6 - 8 inches .
Monitor for murphy mallet , aphids , blight and other gadfly . Remove by hand or use constituent treatments .
Use floating dustup covers at planting and frost blankets in fall to broaden the season .
When vines yellow and die back , stop water 2 workweek before harvest .
thoughtful watering , hilling and pest prevention helps white potato from storehouse produce strongly .
Harvesting and Storing Homegrown Potatoes
Harvest raw potatoes 2 - 3 workweek after full flowering .
For bigger tuber , wait 3 - 4 weeks after vines die back to dig up .
get the picture cautiously with a crotch , letting ground teetotal for promiscuous remotion .
spreadhead potatoes in a single level to cure 10 - 14 days in cool , sour atmospheric condition .
computer memory cured Irish potato in entire shadow around 40 ° F and 60 - 70 % humidity .
Check stored tubers for waste and stock . Remove and use affected potatoes .
right harvesting , curing and storage maximizes ledge life and flavor . Then delight your homegrown spud !
Frequently Asked Questions About Planting Store Potatoes
What types of store potatoes work best?
Medium sized russets , Bolshevik , Yukon golds and new potatoes lean to perform well . void old , wrinkled or precut potatoes .
Can I plant potatoes with sprouts already growing?
Yes , tubers with some sprout growth can be planted as is . Just handle carefully to avert breaking off sprouts .
Is it okay to plant potatoes still in plastic store bags?
No , take away store potatoes from packaging before plant . Chemicals on the bags can leach into stain and hinder development .
How much space do store potato plants need?
Allow 12 - 18 inch between plant with 28 - 36 inches between rows for adequate growth and genus Tuber size of it .
How soon can I harvest potatoes from the grocery store?
Mini fresh potatoes can be labor around 2 months after plant . For full size of it , hold off 3 - 4 month before harvesting .
The Takeaway on Planting Store Bought Potatoes
While not a double-dyed substitute for certified disease - innocent seed potatoes , grocery store store white potato can be planted in a pinch to satisfy your itch for fresh homegrown potatoes . With care taken in choosing , prepping , planting , tending and reap them , supermarket potatoes can raise a respectable crop . do by them as an interim measure while obtain true seed potatoes for successive seasons .
So do n’t waver to turn those forgotten tubers in the buttery into flora in the garden ! With a minuscule luck and effort , you may be rewarded with a bountiful harvest time of hearty homegrown potatoes .
Your Own Saved Tubers
The next best option to certify seed is saving your own tubers . This is , however , a much bad choice in most case . While you ward off the other problems of ware potatoes , you still have to deal with disease . There will be disease in the area that infect your plant over clip , even if the potatoes you bought were wholly disease - innocent . Viruses are often spread by aphids , which can aviate for miles . Fungal diseases spread by spores over even greater distances . Once a potato plant gets taint , the tubers usually stay septic forever . This intend that over time , disease will spread and give will go down . The reasons are not always apparent and many everyday potato agriculturist report gradual and mysterious declines in fruit . Disease , especially viral disease , is the most common reason for this . You wo n’t be capable to bring a grime - bear disease like powdery strikebreaker or wart into your garden if you do n’t add in new tubers , though . This is one way in which your own tubers are even safer than certified seed genus Tuber .
Grocery memory board potatoes are the worst alternative you could choose for growing potatoes . They have all of the problem identified above . They are often treated with sprout inhibitor , although you could annul this by take Organic tater . Since get to the grocery store is usually the end of a long trip that include a stop at a storage adeptness , their bodies have often maintain up with their years . They are more likely to have disease because they number from farms that do n’t come after the strict rules for evidence fortune , they are grown in fields that do n’t follow those rules , they are n’t test for diseases , and they are stored in ways that facilitate the spread of diseases .
