This year we made sure that the size of the seed potatoes we plant are at the higher end of the scale.
Larger seed potatoes:
- have more vigour
- grow quicker
- emerge sooner
- will be ready for harvest earlier
potato seed ready to plant
Seed potatoes sold in the UK are normally within riddle size 35mm x 60mm. So we will look for those around 50 – 60mm.
- This is OK in our local hardware shop where they sell potatoes by weight from a 56lb bag. We just select the potatoes we want from the bag and the cashier weighs them.
- If potatoes are sold in sealed bags in a garden centre, we can select the bags which appear to have the largest potatoes.
The UK The Seed Potatoes Regulations 1991 state that:
- “size” in relation to seed potatoes means the size of the square mesh of the riddle or gauge through or by which the seed potatoes may be passed or retained; sizes over 35mm must be stated in multiples of 5mm.
- no person shall market any basic seed potatoes or certified seed potatoes which are of a size less than 25 millimetres
We think size matters when it comes to planting seed potatoes!