Planting potatoes worth it?
- Thread starter jsmoke
- Start date
Financially, probably not. But they'll be better than the shop ones. As with most things you grow yourself. It's not really a money saving thing (well maybe slightly) but it would take years to recover costs of feeds, soils, raised beds etc. I think.
Just do it - worst thing to happen is you have loads of potatoes! Get down to wilko!
Just do it - worst thing to happen is you have loads of potatoes! Get down to wilko!
Soldato
Given spuds are so cheap in the shops, probably unlikely if you are just looking at saving money.
However, home grown should win on outright freshness and the satisfaction of growing your own. Our 2nd early spuds went in tubs at the weekend.
However, home grown should win on outright freshness and the satisfaction of growing your own. Our 2nd early spuds went in tubs at the weekend.
I was just going to say i have no idea why people are saying it's not cheaper of course it can be.
I leave the potatoes in a dark cool place and they soon sprout.
You still need soil, fertiliser and disease killer though.
i was thinking for doing a few bins worth just for fun really.
I do a few bins each year and whilst they don't work out cheap they are great to eat and it's obviously nice to be able to eat them straight from the garden. Gives you that smug satisfaction, at least until you have to go buy some hellish creation from a supermarket wrapped in 3 tonnes of plastic to accompany the potatoes 
What? Garden is full of soil. Not used fertilizer or disease killer.
Caporegime
Easiest things ever to grow. Black bin full of soil, just water daily and cover plants when they appear. So easy and earlies and second earlies in particular can give great yields.
One variety I grew one year was called Annabelle. One black bin planted with ten small tubers yielded around 100 potatoes. They were the best new potatoes I’ve ever eaten. Different to anything I’ve had from the supermarket. You can get the tubers here. https://www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk/annabelle-seed-potatoes-pid3632.html
Out of stock atm. Tbh, for earlies, you’ve left it a bit late. Should be looking at going in around mid March.
It’s definitely worth doing imo for earlies. Will transform your summer salads.
One variety I grew one year was called Annabelle. One black bin planted with ten small tubers yielded around 100 potatoes. They were the best new potatoes I’ve ever eaten. Different to anything I’ve had from the supermarket. You can get the tubers here. https://www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk/annabelle-seed-potatoes-pid3632.html
Out of stock atm. Tbh, for earlies, you’ve left it a bit late. Should be looking at going in around mid March.
It’s definitely worth doing imo for earlies. Will transform your summer salads.
Caporegime
I used to stick a handful of fertiliser in every time I earthed up.
Horse manure, its free and some well broken down compost all i ever use.
Associate
I have planted out some spuds this year, it probably cost more to buy the planters, fertilizer and compost than to just buy a bag at the supermarket, but its the satisfaction of growing your own food and being able to go out into the garden and just pick it and eat it.
I've planted Vivaldi - jacket spuds, Maris Piper and Desiree varieties, with this being the first time i've grown spuds in a number of years, I had to buy some seed potato's that I left out for the green sprouts to emerge before planting out, after this season I should be able to keep some potato's back and use them as seed's for next year.
I've planted Vivaldi - jacket spuds, Maris Piper and Desiree varieties, with this being the first time i've grown spuds in a number of years, I had to buy some seed potato's that I left out for the green sprouts to emerge before planting out, after this season I should be able to keep some potato's back and use them as seed's for next year.
Soldato
You can get 2.5kg of spuds from Tesco for £1.25. I didn't buy our seed potatoes this year but I did pick up a small bag of seed potatoes for my Mum from Wilko's and, IIRC, they cost a £1 for something like 6 tubers. If you are growing in tubs or bags, you might need to buy compost so that's extra cost.
Against the supermarket prices for most vegetables I don't think you save much money on growing your own. Where it wins every time is the satisfaction and reward for your efforts, along with the knowing the food miles from source to plate is probably the length of your garden (which also means freshness).
Caporegime
There’s a big taste difference in earlies for. Main crop, not so much, hardly at all tbh, but earlies, you can deffo tell the difference.
Home grown spuds are in another league to the shop bought ones, its not too late to plant some now but its getting on a a bit. Another option is growing new potatoes for Christmas, planting in August for a lovely winter harvest. Maris Peer are one of my favourites.
Associate
Growing from supermarket, or any other none SPCS certified source can be a potentially disastrous idea (if potatoes are farmed in your area) as store bought potatoes and SPCS certified seed potatoes have different standards and as such, there’s the risk of introducing all manner of diseases, viruses etc. if you grow from non-SPCS certified potatoes/seeds.
https://www.allotment-garden.org/vegetable/potatoes/can-you-chit-supermarket-potatoes/
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-seed-potato-classification-scheme
Never had any issues using Aldis potatoes.
Associate
I planted some super market potatoes that I got from sainsburies months ago. They are the Maris piper variety. They have been in the cupboard and had sprouted, so I put them out in the grow container.
Only 1 of the 5 potatoes have sprouted and it's currently 4 inches high.
I bought seed potatoes off the internet, and planted them out, probably 6 weeks after the supermarket ones, and I've had to cover them up 3 times already and are nearly needing to be covered up again.
So I've not had much luck with supermarket spuds compared to seed potatoes I have bought online.
Only 1 of the 5 potatoes have sprouted and it's currently 4 inches high.
I bought seed potatoes off the internet, and planted them out, probably 6 weeks after the supermarket ones, and I've had to cover them up 3 times already and are nearly needing to be covered up again.
So I've not had much luck with supermarket spuds compared to seed potatoes I have bought online.