Many people are interested in growing potatoes since they are one of the easiest plants to grow in their home garden.
Though potato seeds are available, it is usually easier to grow the potato from a seed potato. The seed potato is a potato which is sprouting and is the tuber of the potato.
It is suitable for growing the potato plant vegetatively and is an exact copy genetically of the potato from which it has been derived.
Farmers are purchasing seed potatoes from specialist suppliers, so those who would like to grow potato at home, would like to find out can any potato be used as seed potato ?
Certified potatoes
Farmers growing potato commercially in the United States are using United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) certified seed potatoes since these potatoes are certified for quality and are checked from diseases.
So the farmer can grow potatoes on their farm, without worrying that the crop will get damaged due to diseases. These seed potatoes are also not treated with chemicals which can affect their growth.
However, these seed potatoes are usually more expensive, and are only available with select suppliers who have got certification.
Also if individuals wish to grow these potatoes they will usually have to wait for a longer time period to have these seed potatoes delivered.
Grocery potatoes
Most people purchase the potatoes they eat from the supermarket or grocery store. Often they find that the potato is sprouting so they would like to find out if they can use the potato as a seed potato in their home garden.
In other cases, they may be planning to grow potatoes in their garden, so they would like to know the advantages and disadvantages of purchasing the seed potatoes from the grocery store since this is more convenient.
The potatoes from the grocery store are also cheaper than the USDA certified seed potatoes and more easily available.
One of the main disadvantages of using grocery store potatoes is that they are usually treated with chemicals so that they will remain fresh for a longer period of time. These chemicals can adversely affecting the growth of the sprouts on the potatoes, and they may also not grow well.
These potatoes are also not checked for diseases, so though the sprouts may grow well initially, after some time, their growth will get affected or they may become diseases. In a few cases, the viruses will remain dormant for a few seasons, and then affect the soil, reducing the potato and other crops.
Conclusion
So while home gardeners can plant any potato which is sprouting, if they are planning to grow potatoes on a larger scale, it is better to order seed potatoes which are USDA certified.
Though these potatoes will be expensive and delivery will take some time, the gardener will get a better crop.
To save time and money, he can save some of the potatoes from the crop obtained from the certified potatoes and use these potatoes as seed potatoes the next year.
So while it is possible to use any potato as a seed potato, it is better to use potatoes which are USDA-certified as seed potatoes.
