That is the way most potatoes are planted, by cutting the eyes off a potato (with a piece of the potato) and planting it into the ground. They are fine that way, I have done that for years and no ill effects, just great tasting potatoes.

Although some varieties of potatoes bloom and may produce small seed resembling a small tomato (which I have heard is poisonous) the term "seed potatoes" usually means potatoes from fields that have been certified as disease free. They usually cost a lot more than potatoes that you buy at the store. Most people cut those up in chunks with one to several eyes on each piece and let the age for a couple of days to heal the cut part over some before planting.

I have used both kinds, store bought and seed potatoes that I bought at feed and seed stores, with just about equal success, but some feel a lot more comfortable when buying certified seed potatoes.

A simple google search with the words POTATO SEED will turn up much information about the subject.

I think that there are some people working on developing potato seed, rather than seed potatoes, to save in shipping and storage cost to third world countries to they to help them, but could be wrong on that.

Good luck with your efforts to grow potatoes and post any further questions that you may have.
Bill P.

During the depression gardeners would peal potatoes and plant just the eye and some skin. Their harvest was not as good but they ate the rest of the potatoe. We would hope that condition does not come back.

Would each seed potatoe planted produce only one mature potato...

No, each plant grown from a seed potato produces several potatoes.

If you will Google "how to grow potatoes" you will find many, many information sources that will answer any questions. I linked one of the best below.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: How to grow potatoes

If I bought certified seed potatoes one year, would growing the next year's crop from a few potatoes saved from the harvest (ie. children of the parent certified seed) work and produce similar potatoes down through the ages? eg. plant from certified seed, save a few potatoes from the harvest to plant with next year, repeat every year without having to buy new certified seed

Also, which direction would the sprout need to be planted? I would assume the sprouting part would go up and the rest would go down? Finally, can you grow potatoe plants inside? I've heard of people putting them in a jar of water with toothpicks similar to avocado trees and it turning into a plant.

You are confusing starting potato slips from a sweet potato in a glass of water with Irish potatoes. They are entirely different and there is no need to do that. If you break the sprouts off an Irish potato and planted the sprouts, most likely it would die before developing any roots to sustain them.

Yes, you could carry on some generations of potatoes the way you mention, people used to do that, many years ago out in the country when they had to depend upon their crops to feed their families.

Some research at some of the sites that a google search turns up would probably help you to better understand the concept of growing potatoes. A lot of good information can be found by clicking here.

I do not know if these visuals would be of any help or not, but and are some pictures that I made of some of my white and red potatoes to try and help describe how the little potatoes grow underground.

Yes, you would plant the potato pieces in a trench with the cut part down and the eye looking up. There really are a number of good threads on this forum about ways to plant them and how to care for them, hill them up, how to estimate when they are about ready to gather etc. If you need help in looking up any of those threads, someone here can try to help you.
I hope that this helps some.
Bill P.

Eliott, there's a fairly comprehensive guide for the gardener interested in growing potatoes linked below.

A primary purpose for using certified seed potatoes is to avoid diseases. Fewer problems with disease should mean that yields are higher. The 1st generation of seed was tested for disease and grown under very exacting conditions.

Potato tubers are essentially underground stems of the plant. When you use them for a new crop, you are using a clone and they should be the same variety as the original. They are not a "seed" in the usual meaning of the word.

An additional word of caution regarding using supermarket potatoes: They are often treated to retard sprouting. Not exactly the conditioning we are hoping for if we plant them in our gardens.

Potatoes really need full sun to do well. You may be thinking of sweet potatoes grown indoors by suspending the tubers in water.

Steve

Here is a link that might be useful: Oregon State U - Grow your Own Potatoes

Aye, the sprout retardion's the reason I intended to start my potatoes from certified seed, at least the first time around before I go off cloning them.

Speaking of which, what're some good methods of storing potatoes for planting next season?

Regarding your comments about the old days in the country, Bill, I'm growing crops mostly for my own food because I feel it puts me back in touch with nature, back in touch with a traditional way of life that generation after generation lived until the early 1900s and that I can have more control over what I put into my body in order to live healthier. So, in a way, I'm seeking to at least reach a compromise in replicating the old ways before there were certified organic, GM, caffeine free, chemical this and that.

Thanks for all of the help, and sorry if I asked stuff that's been asked in other threads. All this talking just makes me anticipate growing season even more!

Thanks,
Eliott

Good food storage information from Oregon State & Washington State extension services linked below.

Maintaining appropriate temperature and humidity is the best way to get your potatoes from one season to the next in good shape. But, I've even planted them when the sprouts were much too long for it to be an easy job. I think, however, that eyes will quickly regrow if sprouts are broken.

S

Here is a link that might be useful: Storing Vegetables & Fruit - pdf

All very good advice. I just want to reiterate the importance of planting disease free seed, such as from certified seed potatoes. Many of the diseases will persist in the soil for some time once introduced and it will be very hard to clean up the soil, other than giving it time without any potatoes. Do everything you can to keep diseases out in the first place, and rotate where you plant the potatoes so that you don't pick up any overwintering diseases from incompletely decomposed vines from the prior year.

Planting the left over potatoes that have sprouted in the spring works fine and will be true to variety, just make sure your plants were healthy the prior year and the potatoes you harvested don't show signs of disease. If they appear diseased, don't save any, get new certified potatoes the next year and put them in a different location.

Potato seed (as opposed to seed potatoes or portions with an eye) are now on offer. Cheaper than buying certified seed potatoes and also will not spread disease. Takes longer to get a crop. Wouldn't bother myself.
Fedco in Maine puts out a great catalog (truly great - it's wonderful reading) and has a large section on seed potatoes.
Incidentally, if you buy organic potatoes, they won't have been treated with a sprout retardant and would do fine for planting.