As spring approaches, I hear a lot of people talking about growing those old, heavily sprouted potatoes that you find at the bottom of your pantry or buying potatoes to plant from the store because seed potatoes are so expensive. This is another gardening topic that gets a lot of attention online. However, most of the articles take a strong side, rather than clearly laying out the pros and cons. This post will go into great detail about the subject, giving you all the information you need to make your own choice.
When you grow potatoes from tubers, the biggest problem is that you might introduce diseases from the tubers into the plants. Other problems include chemicals that stop sprouting, older tubers, and the chance of growing a GMO potato variety by accident.
Potato tubers can carry a lot of diseases. Pests and diseases are worse for plants that reproduce without pollination, like potatoes, which are rarely grown from seeds. Sexual reproduction is a barrier to many plant pathogens, so seeds tend to spread less disease. Tubers do not go through this generational break, so they accumulate diseases indefinitely. Disease has long been the great vulnerability of potatoes. Before modern farming, potato varieties usually “ran out,” or were thrown out, when they got too many diseases to grow. You cannot tell if a potato is diseased by looking at it. A tuber might look completely healthy, but once you put it in your garden, it might turn out to be sick. Potatoes that have been linked to diseases are often sold as food, with the understanding that they won’t be used for planting. Farmers won’t buy seed potatoes at the grocery store, but a lot of people who garden at home do.
There are a lot of viruses on ware potatoes (potatoes that are meant to be sold as food) and even some viruses on certified seed potatoes. It can be hard for people who don’t grow potatoes often to spot viral diseases on the plants because they don’t usually kill them. The primary symptom is a reduction in yield and is often blamed on growing conditions. Some viruses get worse from one crop to the next, leaving you with a very poor crop in the end. 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 insects and direct contact. It only takes a short time for all of your potatoes to get infected after adding potatoes that have viruses to your garden. For the casual grower, there is no way to get rid of the viruses. To start over with a clean crop, you need 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 seed potatoes online. Luckily, ordinary potatoes from the grocery store can substitute in a pinch to plant a crop at home. While not ideal, store bought potatoes can produce a harvest with proper care
In this article, we’ll look at tips for selecting, prepping and planting regular potatoes to grow your own spuds. With a little know-how, those pantry staples can transform into homegrown produce with full flavor.
Can You Grow Potatoes from the Grocery Store?
The short answer – yes! While specialty seed potatoes are bred for characteristics like disease resistance and high yields, standard edible potatoes can readily be planted
Any healthy potato has the capacity to grow given suitable soil, sunlight and water. Certain variety differences exist between table potatoes and seeds but with adjustments, market potatoes make decent substitutes.
When using store bought potatoes, focus on picking viable tubers, preventing disease and encouraging lots of below-ground growth for a sizable crop. With attentive care, they can produce potatoes while you source true seeds for future years.
Choosing Store Potatoes for Planting
When selecting store bought potatoes to grow, look for:
-
Firm tubers – avoid wrinkled or mushy potatoes
-
Intact skin – no major cuts, bruises or green patches
-
Medium size – golf ball to egg sized tubers grow well
-
Healthy white sprouts – with no darkening or decay
-
Single sprouting eye – avoids weak divided growth
Good potato variety candidates include russets, reds, Yukon golds, purple Peruvians and new potatoes. Avoid pre-cut, pre-seasoned or old sprouting potatoes.
Prepping Store Potatoes for Planting
Before planting grocery store potatoes:
-
Let tubers sprout shoots a few inches long in a warm spot.
-
Cut larger tubers into golf ball sized pieces with at least 2 eyes.
-
Let cut seed pieces dry out 1-2 days until skin calluses over cuts.
-
Discard any potatoes with mold, shriveling or green skin.
-
Handle seed potatoes gently to avoid damaging emerging sprouts.
Proper prep prevents rotting and gives sprouts a head start when planted. Take care not to transmit diseases through cutting utensils between tubers.
How to Plant Store Bought Potatoes
Once sprouted and prepped, plant store bought potatoes:
-
In a sunny spot enriched with compost and organic matter.
-
About 4-6 inches deep spaced 1 foot apart in rows 2 feet apart.
-
With sprouted eye facing up and other eyes facing sideways.
-
Covering seed pieces with soil, mulch or straw to prevent frost damage.
-
In raised beds, large containers or potato grow bags adding extra drainage.
-
Surrounding plants with a 8-12 inch soil ridge as shoots reach 6 inches tall.
Potatoes perform best in slightly acidic soil (pH 6.0-7.0) with consistent moisture and nutrients. Fertilize at planting and midseason.
Ongoing Care When Growing Store Potatoes
To help grocery store potatoes thrive:
-
Water 1-2 inches weekly. Increase during flowering and tuber formation.
-
Hill/mound mix or mulch around stems as plants grow to 6-8 inches.
-
Monitor for potato beetles, aphids, blight and other pests. Remove by hand or use organic treatments.
-
Use floating row covers at planting and frost blankets in fall to extend the season.
-
When vines yellow and die back, stop watering 2 weeks before harvest.
Attentive watering, hilling and pest prevention helps potatoes from store produce strongly.
Harvesting and Storing Homegrown Potatoes
-
Harvest new potatoes 2-3 weeks after full flowering.
-
For bigger tubers, wait 3-4 weeks after vines die back to dig up.
-
Dig carefully with a fork, letting soil dry for easier removal.
-
Spread potatoes in a single layer to cure 10-14 days in cool, dark conditions.
-
Store cured potatoes in total darkness around 40°F and 60-70% humidity.
-
Check stored tubers for rotting and sprouting. Remove and use affected potatoes.
Proper harvesting, curing and storage maximizes shelf life and flavor. Then enjoy your homegrown spuds!
Frequently Asked Questions About Planting Store Potatoes
What types of store potatoes work best?
Medium sized russets, reds, Yukon golds and new potatoes tend to perform well. Avoid 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 avoid breaking off sprouts.
Is it okay to plant potatoes still in plastic store bags?
No, remove store potatoes from packaging before planting. Chemicals on the bags can leach into soil and hinder growth.
How much space do store potato plants need?
Allow 12-18 inches between plants with 28-36 inches between rows for adequate growth and tuber size.
How soon can I harvest potatoes from the grocery store?
Mini new potatoes can be dug around 2 months after planting. For full size, wait 3-4 months before harvesting.
The Takeaway on Planting Store Bought Potatoes
While not a perfect substitute for certified disease-free seed potatoes, grocery store spuds can be planted in a pinch to satisfy your urge for fresh homegrown potatoes. With care taken in choosing, prepping, planting, tending and harvesting them, supermarket potatoes can produce a respectable crop. Treat them as an interim step while obtaining true seed potatoes for successive seasons.
So don’t hesitate to turn those forgotten tubers in the pantry into plants in the garden! With a little luck and effort, you may be rewarded with a bountiful harvest of hearty homegrown potatoes.
Your Own Saved Tubers
The next best option to certified seed is saving your own tubers. This is, however, a much riskier option in most cases. While you avoid the other problems of ware potatoes, you still have to contend with disease. There will be diseases in the area that infect your plants over time, even if the potatoes you bought were completely disease-free. Viruses are often spread by aphids, which can fly for miles. Fungal diseases spread by spores over even greater distances. Once a potato plant gets infected, the tubers usually stay infected forever. This means that over time, disease will spread and yield will go down. The reasons are not always apparent and many casual potato growers report gradual and mysterious declines in yield. Disease, particularly viral disease, is the most common reason for this. You won’t be able to bring a soil-borne disease like powdery scab or wart into your garden if you don’t bring in new tubers, though. This is one way in which your own tubers are even safer than certified seed tubers.
Grocery store potatoes are the worst option you can choose for growing potatoes. They have all of the problems identified above. They are often treated with sprout inhibitors, although you can avoid this by choosing Organic potatoes. Since going to the grocery store is usually the end of a long trip that included a stop at a storage facility, their bodies have often kept up with their years. They are more likely to have diseases because they come from farms that don’t follow the strict rules for certified lots, they are grown in fields that don’t follow those rules, they aren’t tested for diseases, and they are stored in ways that ease the spread of diseases.