Using seed potatoes vs. 'ordinary 'spuds?

 Might seem like a naive question - but I'm still learning all about
temperate climate veggies :)

Pros & Cons of using proper seed spuds vs. spuds from the grocers?

For those that have tried both - what are your experiences and
conclusions?

Thanks.

 

Jeßus wrote:

Seed potatoes are certified disease free and are grown under strict
quarantine conditions. Also you can be certain of the variety.

 On Fri, 28 Nov 2008 08:39:10 +1100, GreenieLeBrun wrote:


Yes, those were the only benefits I could come up with myself.
I'd be inclined to take my chances with plain old shop bought spuds,
unless I came across the varieties I'm after as seed potatoes.

Thanks for your reply Greenie.

 

Seed potatoes are generally smaller so it is cheaper to plant them whole
(although they can be cut provided you leave at least one eye on each part
and preferably let the cuts callus before planting) and they should be
certified disease free.  Other than that they ought to be exactly the same
as grocer's unless the grocer's taters are diseased.  What is the chance
that grocer's potatoes carry disease?  I don't know.

David

 On Fri, 28 Nov 2008 09:30:45 +1100, David Hare-Scott wrote:


Thanks David. As I've just mentioned to Greenie, I'll probably just use
spuds sourced from the grocer.