Seed Potatoes - How Soon can a harvested potato be planted as a seed potato?

[Susan BBPM]

I grow charlotte potatoes as Christmas potatoes - they are harvested any time between now and Christmas.

Could I hold some back to use as seed potatoes and plant them out in March? Or do they need a period of dormancy?

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I would put them in an old egg tray (or similar) and stand them somewhere dark and not too cold (You don't want them to freeze). By March I would expect them to have developed sprouts (Chitted) and you can rub off all but one or two and plant them. They will probably shrivel a bit, but not to worry, it won't hurt them. The worry about using your own seed potatoes is disease, commercial seed is grown out of reach of it, but it tends to be exaggerated, probably by those who want to sell seed potatoes. Still, it is worth being vigilant, don't save anything that doesn't look 100%, and I am assuming your top growth all looks fine and healthy.
I noticed one of our American members who lives where he gets two crops a year saying that he was replanting all the small potatoes he had just dug as a quick crop, so no, no dormancy required, and they will get at least two to three months out of the ground anyway.

 

[cntrlwagdnr]

The risk of disease using you own seed potatoes may be low, but once the ground is contaminated, it's done for growing potatoes - and it spreads. So personally, my feeling is it's forcing the risk on other people too, who have no say in the matter. It's a tough decision and frankly, the savings are minimal.

 

[Susan BBPM]

The risk of disease using you own seed potatoes may be low, but once the ground is contaminated, it's done for growing potatoes - and it spreads. So personally, my feeling is it's forcing the risk on other people too, who have no say in the matter. It's a tough decision and frankly, the savings are minimal.

Out of curiosity - how is it forcing the risk on others? They wouldn't be trying to grow anything in your garden?

I'm not being argumentative - I'm genuinely interested in understanding all of the implications.

 

[cntrlwagdnr]

Because it spreads. Soil born diseases do not just sit in one spot. All kinds of things gradually spread them, such as insects, worms, birds, wind (especially anything that has spores), water runoff, shoes and other means of inadvertently transporting soil, etc. etc.

 

[Susan BBPM]

Because it spreads. Soil born diseases do not just sit in one spot. All kinds of things gradually spread them, such as insects, worms, birds, wind (especially anything that has spores), water runoff, shoes and other means of inadvertently transporting soil, etc. etc.

I live in a rural area, but a residential street.

We don't use any chemicals in our garden and we look after the soil and the wildlife. So we're doing much more than most of our neighbours. The chances of us spreading some kind of problem is I think far less than them bringing some disease laden plant from the local supermarket.

It's not something I've ever heard of actually causing a problem here in the UK. Maybe others will tell me otherwise?

 

[Meadowlark]

In my experience, they need to progress through the change in light from spring to fall or from fall to spring to be at their best as seed potatoes.

Reference, "my feeling is it's forcing the risk on other people"...that risk is infinitesimally small if you use good soil practices and can safely be ignored.