From

Location

Message

Date Posted

New Brunswick

I just bought 20 pounds of certified potato seed and feel I should plant more. I have a pail of small wrinkled up potatoes with at least one 6 inch long sprout growing out of each one. They would either be fundys or yukon golds left over from my last years crop. They were too small to eat so I still have them. Would they be ok to plant? Last year we bought some certified seed and one whole row rotted in the ground before even coming up. I noticed when I cut up the seed that some were rotten in the middle. Of course, I discarded those but still ended up losing that whole row. I replanted and had good luck that time. My green mountains (also certified seed) grew well but rotted within 4 days of digging. They looked to be beautiful potates....then they started having white mildew spots on them, and then were totally rotten just short days later. Thank goodness, we had left them lightly covered in the trailer to dry after digging and so they were not in the bin. I had planted my own seed last year as well and they provided our winter potatoes. This seed I have is from them. Apparently a lot of people had trouble with this growers so called "certified" seed. Which leads me to the question..."what is the difference between our own potatoes and certified seed potatoes so far as growing capabilities are? Would it be feasable to plant these tiny withered up sprouted potatoes?

5/22/2006 10:13:12 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

Certified Seeds Potatoes are have been tested for diseases. Fusarium being the #1. Your home potatoes will grow just like you seed potatoes. My question for you is? Are you treating your potatoes before putting them in the ground. We cut our potatoes up 24 Hours prior to planting to allow them to callus over. Some people after cutting them up dust them in sulfur. To prevent Potato Scab. Sounds to me like you have some disease in your soil. Or you are not allowing them to dry out after harvest...Disease most likely.

5/22/2006 10:29:24 AM

New Brunswick

I believe the disease was in the seed to begin with as the other potatoes in the neighbouring rows were just fine. Our winter potatoes were from our own saved seed.(Other people that bought this growers seed had the same spoilage problem.) Needless to say, I will not buy seed from that farm again. I was a bit dubious planting in the same row as the seed that rotted shortly after planting (also certified) but the resulting crop was disease free...beautiful potatoes. No I have not treated my seed. However, I did let them set 24 hours after cutting. Is the sulpher a special gardening type or just the drug store variety? I did use the drug store one on my giant pumpkins for varies problems. Yes they did dry out but the disease were right in them from the start I believe...again from the same grower.

5/22/2006 10:58:31 AM

Mt.Pleasant,Iowa

I have used my own potatoes for the last 4 years and no problems. Just lucky I guess but no change in size and plenty of potatoes.

5/22/2006 8:56:42 PM

Indiana

I had trouble with almost all of my potaotes rotting after I dug them last year. first time ever not sure why.

5/23/2006 2:44:27 PM

Rotate the potatoes to a new area and only use "certified seed" actually the best idea is to try and get some from another state. This is how the "growers" keep disease down.

Potatoes are harder on your soil than almost any other crop, and once the various "nasty's" are in the ground you have 2 choices and the chemical control is NOT the way to go for a home gardner,,,rotate and give the old spot some recovery time.

If you can find small seed (golf ball size) don't cut them you'll be surprised at what good seed can do !!

5/23/2006 5:31:21 PM

addison Il

We grew ours in a garbage can perfect soil and they grew great end of season dumped the can over and lots of spuds ready eat dont worry guys the can was new LOL.

5/23/2006 5:58:56 PM

New Brunswick

I am planting my potatoes where I had the corn and squash last year. We use horse manure on the garden which would explain some scabbing. I am going to try to just harrow in manure in the top half of the garden this year, planting the potatoes in the lower half. I located some Kennebec seed potatoes at the local hdwre store. Think I will go with them. I also have Fundy, Cal white, Norlands and Chieftans to plant. (all certified but from a different grower than the seed that gave me the trouble last year. Ironically though, our best potatoes were from our own saved seed last year. What do you use to prevent blight? Anyone ever use spray for potato bugs made from ground up potato bugs? (sounds gross I know but desperate matters call for desperate solutions)

5/23/2006 9:22:27 PM