Does a large potatoe seed tuber produce a heavier crop than a small
one ?

In article ,
wrote:

Does a large potatoe seed tuber produce a heavier crop than a small
one ?

No. One from a very small tuber may do, especially if the growing
season is short, but the difference between an egg- and fist-sized
one is negligible. That is why traditional practice is to split
large tubers if they have enough sprouts.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren,
University of Cambridge Computing Service,
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QH, England.
Email:
Tel.: +44 1223 334761 Fax: +44 1223 334679

wrote:

Does a large potatoe seed tuber produce a heavier crop than a small
one ?

The "conventional wisdom" I've seen is that very small "sets" you buy from
a mail-order house are at a disadvantage, and that a whole egg-sized tuber
is optimum to give the new plant enough food to start out quickly. Bigger
than that, and you might as well cut the potato up.


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at www.albany.net/~gwoods
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1200' elevation. NY WO G

I believe that the practice in the US is to pot grow the shoots without the
tuber and then plant out these plants, Has anyone any experience of this
against tubers????

--
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

"david" wrote:

I believe that the practice in the US is to pot grow the shoots without the
tuber and then plant out these plants

Are you talking about sweet potatoes, an entirely different bird? I've
never heard of planting anything other than pieces of tubers here. But
then, I have farms down the road growing potatoes for far cheaper than I
could, so I just grow some "allblue" to impress the ladies. Whatever it
takes.


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at www.albany.net/~gwoods
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1200' elevation. NY WO G

On Fri, 31 Jan 2003 18:09:52 GMT, Gary Woods
wrote:

wrote:

Does a large potatoe seed tuber produce a heavier crop than a small
one ?

The "conventional wisdom" I've seen is that very small "sets" you buy from
a mail-order house are at a disadvantage, and that a whole egg-sized tuber
is optimum to give the new plant enough food to start out quickly. Bigger
than that, and you might as well cut the potato up.


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at www.albany.net/~gwoods
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1200' elevation. NY WO G
I have noticed that in France, seed tubers are about eggsize and are
very uniform in size.
In the UK, by contrast, the size varies from plum to cricket ball
size.
( for non-UK readers 'cricket ball == tennis ball' )
:-)

I read a posting in a newsgroup that someone suggested starting potatoes by
taking the shoots out of the potatoes and planting it. I have never seen
anyone do it that way. What I normally do is cut the potato into sections
with at least one eye in each section. Then I leave them set for a couple
of days to heal up (dry out) before putting them into the ground. This
keeps them from getting infected.

Potatoes are produced along the stem that comes up from the section of
potatoe you planted. That is why "hilling up" your potato plants is
necessary.

Fertile soil and even watering is important for making larger sized
potatoes. Too much water will cause your crop to rot. That is why I prefer
a raised bed or a row that I have raked together that allows excess water to
run off.

Good luck. Dwayne



wrote in message
...

Does a large potatoe seed tuber produce a heavier crop than a small
one ?

I thought that the reason that potatoes are divided, then planted was to do
with the price of posting in the USA. It being cheaper to send a piece of
potato to a gardener than a whole potato.
Kathy

"Dwayne" wrote in message
...
I read a posting in a newsgroup that someone suggested starting potatoes
by
taking the shoots out of the potatoes and planting it. I have never seen
anyone do it that way.