Growing 100 Pounds of Potatoes in Four Square Feet

[BDG]

I have seen this 100lb claim on a few forums. I have never seen anyone get 100lbs. Or 75lb. Seen a couple get 50lbs, but they were using bought compost and bought potato specific manure.

Also, with regards using supermarket potatoes, if you were to side by side trial a super market potato and the same breed of seed potato across 100 locations you would have a marked difference in the yield between the two. The seed potato would win hands down. The reason many perceive better yields from supermarket potatoes is they are growing varieties that they just cannot get their hands on in the garden centre for the main part.

Conventionally grown potatoes are the most sprayed crop with pesticides and fungicide applications 7-15 times through their growing life depending on location - they are not bred to be resilient, rather, to produce a crop. On a very small scale, it is easier to manage things so problems do not occur, but were you to get such problems, your crop would be wiped out if you do not have more chemicals than your crop is worth when growing commercial varieties.

Supermarket potatoes will have gone through the vegetative reproduction process one one or two more times than seed potatoes you buy in and so they are at greater risk of brining in virus.

I am not saying not to do it under any circumstances. However, if you are relying on your crop, do not do it.