I don't truthfully believe theat it is common practice to put the inhibitors on spuds...I grow store potatoes all the time...I have trouble finding seed potatoes except early in the spring ....so I always use store spuds...never have any trouble...I think the seed potatoes are treated with a powder for virus protection sort of like the innoculant we put on beans...

Ruthie

Do you cut them up as you would seed potatoes or just toss them in some dirt?

And see, I thought it was common practice to treat grocery store potatoes with sprout inhibitors. Maybe those that are grown locally don't get that treatment. I also had the potatoes that sprouted next to a bag of Granny Smith apples and wondered if that's why they sprouted -- don't some things ripen or change from the gas emitted by apples?

I have bought seed potatoes very few times in my life. The ones growing in my garden {{gwi:49685}} are some that sprouted in the kitchen, so I cut the eyes off and planted em.

I almost always have some potatoes sprout from peels that were put into the compost pile.

I doubt seriously that my elderly, organic gardening neighbor, Tom has ever bought any seed potatoes. He often coments about getting a good deal on some at a store here or there that were wanting to sprout, so they sold them to him at a discount.

Seems that I am always agreeing with Ruthie, but when you agree, you agree. Some myths are spread and kept on being spread by people repeating what they have read without any real personal experience to base an opinion on.

I am not saying that there may never have been some kind of an inhibitor sprayed on a potato somewhere, sometime, but I do not think that it is all that common. If it is, it is not all that effective. It is not at all unusual for potatoes to sprout in the kitchen in late winter or early spring, when they seem to feel that the time is right.
That is my .02
Bill P.

Bill & Ruthie

Thanks for the information. I really did not know that people use regular store-bought potatoes to plant because I thought they wouldn't grow! At least until my throw-aways took off like gangbusters. Live and learn, as they say.

I grew some store potatoes last year. This year, I have a volunteer store potato plant. So mine had no trouble sprouting.

anney,

Most are sprayed with a growth inhibitor to prevent sprouting in order to prolong shelf life in order to be harvested, processed, cleaned, shipped, and sit on the shelf for long enough for you to see it and it still looks to be in decent shape to purchase. It can also prevent optimum growth. It's possible to plant grocery store produce, but you may be encouraging disease and it is highly likely the results will be smaller than seed stock grown out for home garden planting.

"Do not store seed in a storage where sprout inhibitors such as CIPC have been used unless the entire ventilation system, including plenums, flumes, fans, ducts, etc. have been thoroughly cleaned. The seed house must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected to eliminate carryover of disease causing organisms. Ring rot bacteria can persist up to three years on dried surfaces and are capable of surviving freezing temperatures. Clean out all major trash (tubers, vines, dirt, broken boxes, old bags, etc.) and discard or burn. If potatoes are discarded, don't leave them near the storage or in a pile (cull pile). A cull pile is a potential source of many diseases (soft rot, ring rot, late blight, viruses). Instead, burn, chop, compost, freeze or bury discarded potatoes."

So basically, planting store bought potatoes can encourage disease in your garden. Seed potatoes are safer in this respect.

Here is a link that might be useful: North Dakota State University Agriculture and University Extension