Seed potatoes OR potato sets?

[Valerie in WA]

They're not the same thing are they?

Which is better in what circumstances?

And no I didn't save seed potatoes. We ATE them! YUMMMMMM!

TIA!

[forestdale]

Valerie, I don't know what potato sets are.

I usually, but not always, grow mine with seed potatoes. I buy them from an organic supplier near here. http://www.greenharvest.com.au/index.htm
They will have a wide variety of seed potatoes at the end of Feb, early March. I include the addy because they have a lot of interesting organic gardening information on there.

If I can't get the variety I want, I go to the organic supermarket and buy what I want to grow.

Seed potatoes are just the small potatoes from the last season's crop. They are generally guaranteed to be virus-free, but I've never had a problem buying certified organic potatoes and using them as seeds. You need to be sure of your seeds because with potatoes you can't see what's happening while they're growing. When you did them up and they're diseased, you've wasted months of garden space and effort on something you can't use. You might have also introduced the virus into your soil too.

[Valerie in WA]

Here's what it says: "Our hand-cut, certified Potato Eyes should be planted as soon as possible after arrival." and "Plant hills 2ft apart in rows 2ft apart. One package (25 eyes) plants about a 25ft row."

They sound dried, maybe?

[Valerie in WA]

Here we go: http://www.pallensmith.com/index.php...905&Itemid=118

The 5th paragraph. Sets are just pre-cut seed potatoes. This article does have good general information about potatoes.

[forestdale]

nice article, thanks Valerie.