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Vegetable Gardening

seed potatoes from last year's harvest

11 years ago

Each harvest we sort our potatoes by size and last year we seemed to have a lot about golf ball size. Of course, we've got a lot left. There are some good sprouts on these.

My question is are potatoes like other plants/vegetables in that what you get out is related to what you put in? That is, would I be wasting time and valuable garden space to use these for seed?

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Comments (4)

farmerdill
11 years ago
Yes potatoes are clones. The only danger is disease. If your last years crop was good, then you will do fine using them for seed.
jonfrum
11 years ago
They generally recommend planting 1 1/2 - 2 oz. size pieces, so it sounds like you're good. I'm not sure what you mean by 'good' sprouts. You want short sprouts, 1/4 inch long or so. Any longer are not good. And they should be green, not all white. If they're already sprouting and you won't be planting for a while, they should be kept cold to prevent them from growing any more.
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These plants will tend to make a nice clump of potatoes. Usually you will get a good number of potatoes though they might be a bit smaller...too many eyes and no fertilizer. The thing to do is check these volunteers for Colorado potato Beetle as these plants make excellent traps for the first emergence of the beetles. The old adults hit these plants first and lay eggs there. last year I killed 5 adults and a clutch of eggs, and I don't believe I saw any on the regular potatoes.
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Agree that hybridization concern isn't applicable in seed potatoes. Many people do just as your son did and have for many years with no problems. It used to be the only option - growing your own seed potatoes. Production is just as good assuming growing conditions provided are as good. The only restriction on doing it that I am aware of is if you had any Late Blight (p. infestans) in the garden the previous year as it will over-winter on potatoes and re-surge in the spring garden. Dave
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Your experience of rapid near-100% germination from your own might give you a hint about how good (or bad!) store-bought seed is. I have stored seed for years and still get good germination, 100% from some three-year-old seed I sowed this spring. Often I get half, or very few, or even none, from a bought packet. As to whether you get a good crop, that will be interesting. Almost every veggie seed on the market these days is a hybrid, developed for better yield, dwarf stature, early cropping, or disease resistance. Your own seed will not be the same unless you were maybe growing a deliberate heirloom variety. It would be even more interesting if you had a few seeds left over from last year so you could compare them side by side.
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Squash/pumpkins are exceedingly "licentious." They cross pollinate like crazy. Commercial growers have no motivation either to grow in isolation or to hand pollinate. So, any squash you purchase is likely to carry crossed seed. The odds are great that this is a cross with another c. maxima squash. It's going to be edible and probably very good. But you will only know when you try it. Big Max is also a c. maxima and though edible, it is hardly a "table dainty." It's fun to grow things like this and experiment. But if dependability is real important to you, as in, you want a true Kabocha squash, then it's better to purchase seed. If purity isn't an issue, and if you are okay with variability, this kind of thing can be fun, and, with c. maximas, I doubt you'll get anything that isn't usable as a winter squash. George Tahlequah, OK
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little_minnie
11 years ago
If I am reading this right you are asking about size. It doesn't matter for potatoes like for garlic. I prefer small 'seeds' I don't have to cut. They do not make smaller plants unless they are teeny.
Irish Eyes sells small spuds separately from normal size because some people prefer the ones you don't have to cut.
Mark
11 years ago
Everything said above is great advice. The best seed potato is considered a chicken egg size. A golf ball is close enough.
If you don't have to cut the seed, you have less chance for infection and rot.

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