I'm new to gardening and so far doing pretty good. I'm thinking about getting some potatoes going. Question is I've had some people tell me just to use kitchen potatoes and let them sprout, everything I've read says I have to use seed potatoes. Does anyone have any experience with potatoes and can help me out?

Thank You,

Laurie

If i remember right the kitchen ones are coated to prevent growing when you plant them. I bought seed potatoes from WalMart this past weekend. A nice size bag for $6.00

__________________
Laura
Please visit my blog
http://mylifeinlaurasworld.blogspot.com/

My grandmother and I used to just plant sprouted potatoes. They just would have them started, not long sprouts. They would call them eyes. She would cut the potato apart if it has more than one and turn the sprout or eye upward about 8 or 9 inches apart in a row. With this day and age though, I don't know if they have hybrid potatoes whether it would work. She did this with red, white, and the russet baking. We waited till they died off in the fall before digging and she would get nice potatoes. Some people say when you cut them to let them dry before planting for some reason, but we never did. Probably need to use some manure or some type fertilizer in the row and stir a little before planting. It has been 30 years since I planted potatoes. We don't use that many and a five pound bag lasts us about 3 months!

Last year I took 2 grocery store sweet potatoes I had started I water to use in a hanging basket and put them in a bare spot in the flower garden to act as ground cover. They were attractive and required no care. While doing my after frost clean-up, I discovered 9 lbs of sweet potatoes. I dug them out and let them sit in the basement a couple of weeks before cooking. Needless to say, I'm putting more out this year!

I do not understand the label 'expert' under my name. I am anything but!

Let me ask this....

Last year our neighbor grew white and red potatoes. He shared some with us and we ate them all winter. We do have several smaller ones leftover and they have sprouted big time (in a box in the basement)....the sprouts are 8 inches long I'd say. Can we just plant those as they are with the long sprouts? Or do we need to take off those sprouts and try to get them to sprout again? We will be ready to plant in a week or so and just wondered if we could just plop them into the ground or do we need to go buy more seed potatoes.

tia!!!

__________________

Friends are like butt cheeks.
Crap might separate them,
But they always come back together.