Seed Potatoes

[Elfeda]

Dear all

I am new to this site, got an allotment this year and planning to start planting in the spring.

Firstly I have ordered for seed potato. I wonder how much seed potato is good enough to a small family of 2 adults. We eat rice every day and use potato twice a week.
If do not use all the seed potato can I store them for the next years use?

[bazzaboy]

Welcome Elfeda, and a good question if a difficult one as different varieties produce at different rates and you'll inevitably suffer some losses (and eat at different rates) so impossible to say. It will also depend whether you're going for 1st/2nd Earlies or Maincrop (a selection helps to lengthen the usable time). I think the answer first time is to see how successful different ones are, which ones you like, which are best for different purposes etc. It's not that easy to keep a supply going throughout winter and the following spring so it's probably best approached as a learning curve.

The second part of your question, about using next year, can be answered more directly... The "official" answer is that you shouldn't because they can harbour various diseases and problems so fresh stock is always recommended. Of course as far as the potato is concerned it's perfectly possible, it's how they naturally reproduce!

Good luck with your endeavours and do keep asking questions on this site, you'll be amazed at how much info and assistance comes your way....

[WendyC]

Difficult to answer your quantity question as different potatoes produce different quantities, and even these can vary year to year. As a rule I plant about 40-45 seed potatoes each year and we are a family of 3-4 and have potatoes 3-4 times a week. I plant a mixture of first earlies, second earlies and early main crop. We usually have potatoes for 9 months of the year.
Without knowing the varieties you have ordered I would guess 20 seed potatoes would be enough. Finally no you can't really save seed potatoes from one year to the next. However you could stagger the planting time to stagger the harvest a little, depending on your variety.
Welcome to the Vine. Perhaps you could add your location to your profile as location is often relevant when answering questions.

[Kristen]

If do not use all the seed potato can I store them for the next years use?

No.

Well ... you might be able to, but they will shrivel up and produce a very weak plant, initially, so are unlikely to give you a good yield. Better to buy fresh seed potatoes next year. You can keep some potatoes, from the ones you grow, for the following season but as bazzaboy said that brings the risk of disease - as does buying potatoes from the supermarket and growing those.

[Elfeda]

Thanks all

thats really great Info , I have ordered 2kg of each fallowing and I want to sow in 3 vertical wooden frames as I realised they are not to be sown one after another.

it means i would not be able to sow every thing of 4 kg unless there is lots of space available. . as a first timer it is very tempting to limit/choose just one of each.

Arran Pilot Seed Potatoes
Red Duke of York Seed Potatoes
Charlotte Seed Potatoes
Kestrel Seed Potatoes
King Edward Seed Potatoes

[WendyC]

So you've probably got over 100 seed potatoes coming. I'm not sure what you mean by vertical wooden frames. Are you growing in the garden at home or on an allotment?

[hamesy]

That's a lot of potatoes if you are growing in 3 containers. But I suppose it depends on how big they are.

I've got some of these and I put three seed potatoes per container. Might be worth you grabbing a few.

[goosander]

Been using green/red and blue pots about two feet diameter and over a foot deep. Got them from farmer friend. They use them for giving the cattle extra vitamin's and are just thrown away when finished. Also very strong.
Bob

[cheapskate chaz]

Just a little divergance as pot growing has been mentioned, I have tried growing Estemas in grow bags, with spud compost and gereral compost mixed in without real success, the first bag contained a zillion ants! no real yields either, even though the stems had keeled over indicating time to reap, the other bags faired no better, my Lady Christi grown in soil was far better, but attacked by the spud worms, so question is, which variety has been most successfull in grow bags with what compost/soil ?
My very first attempts were killed by over watering (twice a day) so I went to once a week, too little ..but they survived! so watering twice a week may be enough for the standard size bags sold in Garden centers?

[Kristen]

which variety has been most successfull in grow bags with what compost/soil ?

I only grow First Early in bags - they are in greenhouse so saved me the effort of trying to protect a whole row of spuds against frost; I now plant outside later than I used to and rely on half a dozen bags of spuds for the early crop. One bag of Rocket for the earliest earlies, and then Arran Pilot thereafter.

My very first attempts were killed by over watering (twice a day) so I went to once a week, too little ..but they survived! so watering twice a week may be enough for the standard size bags sold in Garden centers?

When they are first planted they won't need much / any water. In the last couple of weeks before harvest they will need loads (and, indeed, getting / keeping the compost moist in the last few weeks can be a challenge for container-grown spuds)

[Penellype]

If the bag was full of ants that implies that it was too dry. That would explain why you had a poor crop too.

I grow all my potatoes in either containers or raised beds, but mainly in bags - just the standard plastic potato bags you can buy in any garden centre etc. You'd probably get a bigger crop from the same number of potatoes in the ground, but I find the bags are more than acceptable. This photo from yesterday shows the last 1/3 or so of a bag of Desiree potatoes which I brought in from the garage. The bag had been planted with 4 seed potatoes and had already produced 2 potatoes larger than the big one in this photo (the plate is 9 inches diameter):



I always stand my bags on a shallow saucer or tray so that when I water it doesn't run straight out of the bottom, but I wouldn't recommend a permanent puddle around the bottom of the bag.

[Elfeda]

All,

I have planned two beds for potatoes one of which is for main crop. as I bought 2nd earlie then to save space thought of building a bottom less wood frames for 3 1x1 m beds.

With this thread i realised they are too much seed potato i got, so it seems better to sow on ground with mushroom compost or topsoil etc as an experiment. I do not want to dig the surface as it is too much todo for me alone.


whole plot would be empty upto june and then i will be adding mostly tropical veg and leaves. so how many potatoes I can sow in 2x5m and 3mx5m beds with gross on?

Since 100 spuds are too much and can not be used in the next year..I have 2 options, share them with some one or just put everything on ground and start harvesting too early for my regular needsl.

so in the end I just want to know how much space and compost required to grow each 20 potato seeds on average?

[Bigmallly]

What I would do is use one of These. Make holes 12" apart 6" deep then just drop your seed into it & cover with the next plug..........it really is as easy as that...........no digging.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Just a thought Elfeda may I ask where you live?

Chaz, growing spuds in containers is really quite easy providing you follow a couple of basic rules.

I grow in all sorts of containers from Morrison's flower buckets (1st earlies) to recycled plastic water tanks and plastic dustbins for main crop.

Feeding no matter what compost you use you will need to feed them on a regular basis after week 6, by this time the compost will be devoid of nutrients.

Watering, I set seed in damp compost and then leave them until the plants start to grow, very little watering will be needed until about week 6 or 7. After that you will need to water an ever increasing amount as the plants grow. When the tubers start to form about week 8 for 1st earlies and week 15/16 for main crop you should not allow the compost to dry out. Do not rely on looking at the surface of the compost, stick you hand down into it to make sure it is moist all the way through. To give you an idea during the height of summer I give my dustbins of main crop a 2 gallon bucket each every day.

[Elfeda]

Bigmally,

the tool looks useful for potato as well, will experiment with it for parlty.


I have to clear lots of weeds on the site do not want to go with bags and cantainers as first option. all the compost and menure should go as mulch than filling a pot.

thank you

Potstubsdustbins,

this year potatos should be grown on the ground though I use one or two small contaners as an experiment at home. thank you anyway.