growing potatoes

I have got some shop bought potatoes that have started to sprout.
Can I plant them or do I have to use seed potatoes ?
Thanks.

 

I've always grown mine from shop bought spuds that have sprouted. In fact I usually buy a sack of spuds just to let them sprout so I can plant them. I've always had a decent crop from them.

Just a warning though, someone on here (I can't remember who) once said that there is a slightly increased risk of blight if you do it that way.

 

I take a different view.

If you can possibly get seed potatoes (which may be difficult this late in the planting season) then do so. Absolutely and without exception.

If you can't then take the risk and go with spuds from the Supermarket.

Supermarket spuds are fine until you get some that have disease, and then your plot is infected and you will have the devil of a job getting rid of it. Same thing for volunteer potatoes (springing up from where you had spuds last year). All very nice, free plants, and all that jazz ... but more likely to have disease, and even if they don't if you get blight you now have it not only in this year's plot, but last year's too. As the old saying goes "A weed is a plant in the wrong place ..."

Use best quality, certified disease free, seed potatoes. Use alternatives only if there are none available.

 

Sorry to hijack this thread but I was wondering this too. I have some shop bought spuds that have sprouted however they have now also turned green. Would it still be okay to plant them? Also, I would like to grow them in a bag - how many potatoes should I plant in each bag?

Thanks in advance.

 

Thanks for your reply. The potatoes themselves and the shoots have turned green.

I was going to use one of those durable recycling bags (with added drainage holes) so I'm guessing two potatoes will be enough for one bag.

 

Hi.
Thanks everyone for your comments.
I was planning on planting in a bag as well.
So here goes.

 

Marshalls say you can plant 3 spuds in their gro-sacks. They are about 18" (maybe 24", I'll double check when I close up the greenhouse tonight) on each side and about 24" - 30" deep.

Pah! Had a look on their website to get a link for you and all the info is there, saves me walking out to the greenhouse!! Typical male imagination, the real thing is smaller than I thought

Sack size H 18in x W12in / 46.5cm x 30cm. That's a capacity of over 40 litres.

http://www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk/potato-gro-sack-kit-charlotte-pid2029.html

(Don't be put off that their pack supplies 5 seed potatoes per bag, the instructions say to only plant 3 - which jarred me off when I bought mine :(

 

I get some cracking spuds growing in my compost heap-and they are from the peelings of shop bought spuds, so I'm sure it's better than just chucking them away.

 

Good question Samuelcat I have just taken on a garden , bit late in the growing season I know but I was only informed of the plot on the 17th of this month so have just started clearing it. I've had some good advise from the good people of this forum about it not being too late to plant spuds but couldn't get any, all sold out at this late stage of the season so will be planting some of the farmers spuds out of the bag we bought for a fiver a few weeks ago now.

 

I grow my potatoes in buckets and use supermarket bought potatoes. I know there is a slight risk of disease but I've never had a problem and get lovely potatoes. I plant 3 potatoes per bucket and get abot 3 Lbs back. I've had 4 Lbs and one lot that had so many they split the bucket - but I didn't weigh.
Have a look. This is Charlotte.