Cheapest seed potatoes

Evening all.

I have just dug a fresh patch of ground. Enough for about 60 seed potatoes to go in by my reckoning. I was thinking of going for the second mains, to be ready at the very back end of the year.

Trouble is, seedies are so expensive. I've often wondered how potato farmers make a profit. Apart from using shop bought spuds intended for eating, does anyone know of a cheaper source of seedies of the 'certified disease free' variety?

 

No

 

wow Ziggy you are a man of many words lol

 

I can be but not on this occasion

 

Other than really early new potatoes there is little financial point growing spuds. They are cheap as chips (Sorry!) to buy by the sack load, and farmers with cold stores can "keep" them better than me in my broom cupboard.

If you fancy some specific varieties, that you can't buy in the shops, that would be a reason, but for me I now only grow 1st early, a few 2nd early, and Pink Fir Apple. I've stopped growing main crop for storing.

Monty said on Gardeners World recently that the Sugars turn to Starch after picking, hence home grown new potatoes taste sweeter than shop bought (provided you get them in the pan quickly and don't store them for several days first!) which is the same overwhelming reason for growing Sweetcorn, and an association that I had not made before.

 

I am not sure if supermarket spuds would grow if they were imported earlys (so called). The seed for sale are this years seed (last years crop) stored in coldstore to hold them back, thats why the are so expensive.

 

Harvested potatoes need (from memory) 6 weeks dormancy before they will grow again

 

You could be right Kristen, we have some supermarket spuds left over and they are sproughting, full of disease though.

If new potatoes dug up in May can be planted in July, why do they store seed in coolers for so long, something dosen't add up there.

 

I like that idea, but does it not increase the risk of disease, with organisms being able to get into the wound?

 

I think I'll chance it too. This is for my back garden, miles from the nearest tatie farm, and some distance from the nearest allotments, so in the extremely unlikely case of problems, I can't see it affecting anyone else.

 

Do you let the cut surfaces "heal" first in the chitting tray John? I think that might help, compared to, for example, cutting them just as they are planted.

No harm putting some Sulphur on the cut surfaces Clueless (if you have some lying around) to cover your front, back and both sides! But I think they are more likely to just rot, rather than for them to cause a disease outbreak locally!!, so you don't need to worry about that IMHO.

 

I see to recall seeing 'someone' cut the seed in half, and just rub the cut in some earth, then plant...