Seed Potatoes vs. Store Bought Potatoes for Planting

I noticed seed potatoes for the first time last spring at a local outdoor store. I asked the lady at the register what the difference was between a seed potato and one just grown from the potatoes you bought at the grocery store to eat. She truthfully told me that she had no idea. Well, some folks might rush right home to look it up, but not me. It was springtime and I was busy! When fall rolled around and I was ready to plant the fall garden, I noticed that a few of potatoes I purchased to feed the family had sprouted eyes so I went ahead and decided to plant them and see what happened.

We got them in the ground a little late and the frost killed the top of the plants a few days ago. After digging around a bit this morning, here is what I found.

Obviously, we got potatoes! I know they would have been bigger given a few more weeks to grow, but still, we’ll enjoy them for dinner. Ok, so once again, I pondered the seed potato and this time decided to do my research. It turns out that there really is a difference!

It seems that ‘eating’ potatoes are grown specifically to eat. They are treated with inhibitors that will delay sprouting. This gives the growers longer to get the potatoes to market (grocery store) and it allows us to keep them stored longer before they sprout. ‘ Hmmm, so what’s the big deal if they sprout’, I asked myself. The good people at the Idaho Cooperative Extension say that after the potato has sprouted, airflow is decreased which increases the temperature which, in turn, increases the risk of diseased potatoes. Doesn’t sound appetizing, but the risk of disease is actually greater to future potatoes and nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, etc.), if you choose to plant the eyes, than it is to you from eating them. The soil can become contaminated and affect crops for years to come. That being said, when I was small my family grew potatoes from the store bought variety in our small garden for years with no problems. I wonder if inhibitors were used all those years ago…

Seed potatoes are specially cultivated to be disease free and are inspected before they can be sold. They are not treated with any inhibitors so will sprout in a timely manner and are much more likely to produce viable plants. Both organic and non-organic varieties are available for purchase. It was also noted that a greater variety of potato choices exist with seed potatoes and you know for sure which variety you are getting. I buy ‘baking’ potatoes and red potatoes at the supermarket without really knowing the variety.

So there you have it. It seems that maybe the seed potato is more than a marketing gimmick aimed at getting you to spend money on something that is waiting for you in your pantry.  If you decide to use regular potatoes, planting them in an isolated (raised) bed will lessen the risk of contaminating the rest of the garden in the unfortunate event of disease.   I learn something new every day!