Reuse seed potato for second crop

[RossGoonan]

Hi all
Starting to harvest my first crop of potatoes and have noticed variation in the original seed potato.
They are either, a.) completely gone, b.) nothing but skin or c.) completely fine.
So;
Q1.) They're in the same bed with the same soil and same water, right next to each other, so why?
Q2.) For the ones that look fine, I have them sitting out to see if they'll sprout again and can be re-used. Anyone done this before and did it work?
Cheers

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

@Geo do you know anything about this?

I haven't grown potatoes yet, but am hoping to grow them in the future. Seed potatoes come in varying sizes and shapes. Just like each individual plant might show different growing patterns, even if grown in the same situations. So I suspect they both might've simply grown differently, as even plants grow right next to eachother can have slight differences. This could be bugs, worms, fertiliser, watering differences, etc. The way their root ball might have grown/spread can also impact how a plant grows. One area of the bed might also be more compacted than the other.

 

[bestgalvanizedraisedgarde]

Reusing seed potatoes for a second crop is possible and can be a cost-effective method, although there are a few considerations to keep in mind:
Storage Conditions: Properly store the seed potatoes after the first harvest. Keep them in a cool, dry, and dark place to prevent sprouting or rotting before you're ready to plant them for the second crop.

 

[Grandmother Goose]

Let me get some clarification on what you mean here. When you say using seed potatoes again, do you mean you plant seed potatoes, get a crop of potatoes, then when you harvest them you identify the original seed potato that you used to grow that crop and if there's enough left of it, you want to try to grow another crop from that same seed potato again? If so, I wouldn't bother. It might look like it's still got enough stuff to grow a second round, but you probably won't get great results from it because it'll have blown most of its energy stores on growing the first crop and it's now at a much higher risk of disease. Sure, it can be done, some people have done it no doubt, but is it worth even trying when you have already grown your own free supply of fresh new seed potatoes which will be much more successful? Probably not. As for why some seed potatoes will rot away completely and others still seem firm and solid, there are so many variables to that it would take me a novel to explain them all. Soil conditions, the condition of the potato in the first place, how many eyes it grew new plants from, how much energy it used, how much water it got, what microbes are in that exact spot in the soil... and the list goes on.

 

[RossGoonan]

Let me get some clarification on what you mean here. When you say using seed potatoes again, do you mean you plant seed potatoes, get a crop of potatoes, then when you harvest them you identify the original seed potato that you used to grow that crop and if there's enough left of it, you want to try to grow another crop from that same seed potato again? If so, I wouldn't bother. It might look like it's still got enough stuff to grow a second round, but you probably won't get great results from it because it'll have blown most of its energy stores on growing the first crop and it's now at a much higher risk of disease. Sure, it can be done, some people have done it no doubt, but is it worth even trying when you have already grown your own free supply of fresh new seed potatoes which will be much more successful? Probably not. As for why some seed potatoes will rot away completely and others still seem firm and solid, there are so many variables to that it would take me a novel to explain them all. Soil conditions, the condition of the potato in the first place, how many eyes it grew new plants from, how much energy it used, how much water it got, what microbes are in that exact spot in the soil... and the list goes on.

You understood correctly. Many thanks for your detailed reply and understand it's probably not worth the effort when I have a fresh crop to choose from. Cheers

 

[Geo]

I never used "seed potatoes". I may be bias, but it sound unnatural to me. I feel like someone put a lot of effort (or even chemicals) to make seed potatoes be "seed potatoes".

Having grown in the country side we always use either our own potatoes or from local store, but just potatoes harvested "last crop", never dedicated seed potatoes.

And in that practice, we NEVER got the original seed potato back. In some rare cases we found its empty skin, but most times it was completely consumed. And the yield was always satisfactory.

Of couse, I may be wrong and there may be "nothing chemical/dubious about seed potatoes". But I can promise that doing it fully natural (plant, harvest, keep for next planting season, plant you harverst, harvest again and so on.) will never give you a viable seed potato to use a second time. Or at the very least, I would be VERY surprised to see that, since I've grown potatoes as a kid and in a village with many families... none of which ever got more than an empty skin from what they had planted.

 

[Grandmother Goose]

I never used "seed potatoes". I may be bias, but it sound unnatural to me. I feel like someone put a lot of effort (or even chemicals) to make seed potatoes be "seed potatoes".

Having grown in the country side we always use either our own potatoes or from local store, but just potatoes harvested "last crop", never dedicated seed potatoes.

And in that practice, we NEVER got the original seed potato back. In some rare cases we found its empty skin, but most times it was completely consumed. And the yield was always satisfactory.

Of couse, I may be wrong and there may be "nothing chemical/dubious about seed potatoes". But I can promise that doing it fully natural (plant, harvest, keep for next planting season, plant you harverst, harvest again and so on.) will never give you a viable seed potato to use a second time. Or at the very least, I would be VERY surprised to see that, since I've grown potatoes as a kid and in a village with many families... none of which ever got more than an empty skin from what they had planted.

Seed potato is nothing more than the name given to a potato that has been set aside for the purpose of being able to use it to grow more potatoes. Any potato that you grow and put aside for planting next season is a seed potato. The only difference commercially is that seed potatoes need to be certified disease free, most won't be sold until they're ready to start sprouting. Some will be sprayed with a fungicide to protect from fungal diseases being picked up in transport and storage, which makes them not suitable for eating. When that is the case, it will say so on the packaging.

 

[Geo]

Cool! Thank you @Grandmother Goose !
Then the species that I've been growing since childhood do not remain viable for a second planting. This goes so back to my roots I feel like it's the only way possible

 

[RossGoonan]

I never used "seed potatoes". I may be bias, but it sound unnatural to me. I feel like someone put a lot of effort (or even chemicals) to make seed potatoes be "seed potatoes".

Having grown in the country side we always use either our own potatoes or from local store, but just potatoes harvested "last crop", never dedicated seed potatoes.

And in that practice, we NEVER got the original seed potato back. In some rare cases we found its empty skin, but most times it was completely consumed. And the yield was always satisfactory.

Of couse, I may be wrong and there may be "nothing chemical/dubious about seed potatoes". But I can promise that doing it fully natural (plant, harvest, keep for next planting season, plant you harverst, harvest again and so on.) will never give you a viable seed potato to use a second time. Or at the very least, I would be VERY surprised to see that, since I've grown potatoes as a kid and in a village with many families... none of which ever got more than an empty skin from what they had planted.

Thanks Geo. That's something I hadn't considered. Some of the seed potatoes I used were purchased although it does not mention any treatment.