Potatoes- mail order or local?

[BeeWonderful]

Hi everyone.

So, last year I made the mistake of not thinking about planting potatoes until too late in the season and everything was sold out. Where do all of you organic growers get your tubers? And how early in the spring do you order them? Do mail order places wait to ship? I'm very green when it comes to purchasing potato tubers...all advice is appreciated!

[biigblueyes]

I'm always tempted to mail-order, but they're pretty pricey, especially when you add in shipping. I usually end up with an assortment of sprouted-in-the grocery-store, here-take-a-few-of-what-I-planted and the cute little baby potatoes of various colors. What you get at the feed and seed stores here are the red-skinned ones that are soooo good as New Potatoes, but are just plain hard when they're mature. So I don't plant those. Especially NOT 50 pounds of them.

[BeeWonderful]

Originally Posted by biigblueyes

I'm always tempted to mail-order, but they're pretty pricey, especially when you add in shipping. I usually end up with an assortment of sprouted-in-the grocery-store, here-take-a-few-of-what-I-planted and the cute little baby potatoes of various colors. What you get at the feed and seed stores here are the red-skinned ones that are soooo good as New Potatoes, but are just plain hard when they're mature. So I don't plant those. Especially NOT 50 pounds of them.

Thanks for the tip. Does it make any difference whether the tubers are from non-organic stock? With potatoes does that matter?

[NEWisc]

There was an interesting thread on potatoes a while back:
Potato varieties

One of the sources recommended in that thread was this one:
Potato Gardens Across the USA

Lots of choices
Potato Garden: Seed Potatoes

[biigblueyes]

Because grocery store potatoes could be treated to prevent sprouting, if you're going that route, only use potatoes that are already showing some type of bud or sprout from the eyes.

If you're buying seed potatoes, you don't have to worry about that.

Whether it was grown organically or not is a personal choice - the potato (or seed) doesn't know the difference.

[BeeWonderful]

Thanks for the good info biigblueyes!

[BeeWonderful]

Originally Posted by NEWisc

There was an interesting thread on potatoes a while back:
Potato varieties

One of the sources recommended in that thread was this one:
Potato Gardens Across the USA

Lots of choices
Potato Garden: Seed Potatoes

Thanks Newisc! I'll check all this out.

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by NEWisc

Lots of choices
Potato Garden: Seed Potatoes

This link is amazing. I'm getting excited...especially the purple and blue ones that provide antioxidants.

Thanks, NEWisc!

Up until now, I've just planted store-bought potatoes that have begun to spout...but I'm interested in trying some varieties I've never heard of. I'm even more interested in growing a variety of fresh vegetables to include in some upcoming changes to our eating habits!

[BeeWonderful]

Originally Posted by dapjwy

This link is amazing. I'm getting excited...especially the purple and blue ones that provide antioxidants.

Thanks, NEWisc!

Up until now, I've just planted store-bought potatoes that have begun to spout...but I'm interested in trying some varieties I've never heard of. I'm even more interested in growing a variety of fresh vegetables to include in some upcoming changes to our eating habits!

I also looked into Potato Gardens Across the USA today and I agree it looks awesome....I've decided to order from them this year! I'm ashamed to say i had no idea that many potato varieties existed.

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by BeeWonderful

I also looked into Potato Gardens Across the USA today and I agree it looks awesome....I've decided to order from them this year! I'm ashamed to say i had no idea that many potato varieties existed.

Don't be ashamed! I had no idea either...I've heard of fingerlings and the blue ones...and of course the common store varieties.

Doesn't it make vegetable gardening that much more exciting. I know it is starting to make me really thinking about expanding my vegetable garden! I might just've been bitten by the vegetable gardening bug. ...I guess I am my father's son.