forgive me for asking a really stoopid Q ...

[mc55]

... but why can't I just plant potatoes from the Supermarket.  Before my lottie days, I used to grow them in large plant pots and always popped whatever I had on hand from supermarket - never 'chitted' them neither .... I know you'll all be tsking with annoyance now, but us new lottie holders just don't know any better  ???

[mc55]

[jennym]

The seed potatoes that you buy from suppliers are certified free from certain virus disease, the potatoes you buy from the supermarket aren't.
Many of us have done what you do. However, on a larger scale if everyone including commercial growers saved their own seed, they would become vulnerable to viral infections and  the growers would not be able to guarantee to supply the market.

[terrace max]

The seed potatoes you buy from seed suppliers are grown in a sterile medium. The ones from the supermarket are grown in soil and therefore can harbour all sorts of nasty diseases.

A lot of folk round here save half of their own and buy the other half to spread the risk/cost a bit...

[Derekthefox]

Following that reasoning about harboured diseases, potatoes grown from certified seed should only have diseases which are already present on the growing site.  By reusing these potatoes as seed, no new diseases are being introduced, so the risk of introducing a nasty is significantly reduced?

[daveandtara]

plus, didn't i read something on here once about a sort of growth retardent sprayed on spuds to stop them sprouting when supermarkets store them?

[terrace max]

...and why are (non-organic) supermarket spuds so watery? Could it be they are overwatered before cropping to get the weight up?? Just a guess  :-\

[jennym]

Diseases such as blackleg which is a bacteria can infect potatoes via water and soil, and are then carried within the potato that you save.
Virus diseases once present will be carried from potato to potato whilst they are alive, so once a virus exists within your potato stock, you can only eradicate it by eliminating all hosts and replacing with new.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I think supermarket spuds are waterish because they're grown in depleted soils, using a chemical brew which must approximate to hydroponics in the worst cases.

[Derekthefox]

And they are also tasteless ...

[blight]

@robertbrenchley

it could have to do with the varieties too.
in germany at least- you don´t find the tastier sorts in the supermarkets. often the yield with tasty sorts is smaller, they have odd shapes that makes peeling difficult, sunken "eyes"that make gouging tiresome and ....

[mc55]

aahh - thanks guys, going to search web for seed potatoes now.
Cheers

[Rosa_Mundi]

plus, didn't i read something on here once about a sort of growth retardent sprayed on spuds to stop them sprouting when supermarkets store them?

That's no longer done. With regard to taste, it's as others have said, down to variety. Tastier spuds tend to have smaller yields/be more prone to disease/spoilage and are hence too expensive for s/markets to consider profitable. An example such a potato is the King Edward; great taste and texture, but relatively poor yield and often marked or inperfect. Pentland Squire, on the other hand, looks wonderful and soil nasties don't like it - but tastes and smells of nothing.

[growmore]

Not tsking ;D You could and prob get a crop of sorts .But I agree with all others in what they say .....re disease etc..
Also when You grow your own tatts You become a bit  of a connoisseur with em..  You have a very wide choice so You grow the varieties You like ..  
As You prob know theres 3 types earlies ,second earlies and maincrop..
I bet not many of us grow the same varieties of these ..We would differ I think in at least one of the 3...Jim

[Derekthefox]

With all these variables, on just one crop, I am amazed that we ever manage to grow a crop successfully ! And harvest a whole range of vegetables and fruit to boot. And try and balance the quantities so we can virtually live off our produce ...