cybrczch said:Today is the official start of the Spring 2019 gardening season.
Started seeds indoors in the basement:
Onions - Patterson and Copra
Shallots - Ambition and Picador
Leek - American Flag
Peppers - Carmen, Escamillo (red and yellow conical), Takii Ace (red bell), Zavory (mild habanero), and Pageant (mild banana)
Also flowers: Imaptiens, Salvia, Ice Plant, Phlox, Coleus (using up all my old seed, some were over 10 yrs old).

And this year I'm ready for any mice that may show up in the basement.

Wow, great start and great getting your seeds going. I haven't started any of mine as yet.

Bonehead said:Try feed stores, that's where I usually get my seed potatoes.

I knew as I typed my post that someone would suggest a feed store. I'll have to search to see if there is one anywhere in the state. lol. I used to have one I could ride my bike to when I was growing up and I'd go get stuff from there, like alfalfa meal to heat up my compost pile...

thommesM said:Looking for seed potatoes. The only local source I know are nurseries and they only have a few varieties usually. Anyone know of another place to look locally for seed potatoes? Online sources want a ton of money for shipping.

Yep, potatoes are heavy. I get mine at our farmers coop. They dont carry a wide variety, but do carry what grows best in our area. I will be planting mine this week if all goes according to plan. Waiting for the cuts to dry out a little.

I bought some yellow potatoes from the grocery store, and they all sprouted within a week. I'm going to try plantng them. Anyone have reasons why that's a bed idea? They have been sitting on my counter for at least 2 months waiting............. Haven't grown anymore since sprouting. They're perfect for planting now.

Burpee Seeds has free shipping today. Today only till midnight. Use promo code FREESHIP219.

texaskitty111 said:I bought some yellow potatoes from the grocery store, and they all sprouted within a week. I'm going to try plantng them. Anyone have reasons why that's a bed idea? They have been sitting on my counter for at least 2 months waiting............. Haven't grown anymore since sprouting. They're perfect for planting now.

I think the downside is you don't know what variety/hybrid you are getting. Commercial potatoes are breed for long shelf life, tough skin for easy harvest and shipping and other things that benefit the grower, not the consumer. You might miss out on the heavenly goodness that is a true non GMO potato.

I plant enough to feed my family, so i am a little picky, but if you want to experiment for the fun of it, I say go for it!

Nothing wrong with planting grocery store potatoes. I plainly don't buy that they're "weird hybrids bred for shelf life". When I grew organic disease free potatoes from seed, those potatoes lasted MUCH much longer on the shelf than the ones from the store.

Yes, the ones in the store were probably a few weeks to a month old when I got them, but I'm talking it took the ones from my garden 6+ months to sprout, usually ones I buy from the grocery store are more eye than potato within a few weeks. Definitely wouldn't happen if they were selected to last long on the shelves.

Six months, when do you plant them? Mine are always up in a couple weeks, three at the most. I will be planting mine this week.

But no biggy. Just passing along information I have read. Take what you want, leave the rest.

https://www.gardeningchannel.c...

Well, thanks for the info. I'm a bit discouraged with seed potatoes ordered online. Never seem to get many. Or, very small ones. Have tried all colors except red potatoes. At least these ol yellers are tasty. I'm also waiting for some blues, purples, and whites to restart this spring, as there were only plants last summer. I saved/ate them until they sprouted late last summer, when I planted them. Again.

@repentantslide. I reread your post and I realize now I misread it. I thought "sprout" was when you planted it, not sprouting in storage. My bad.

NakedChickenFarm said:Six months, when do you plant them? Mine are always up in a couple weeks, three at the most. I will be planting mine this week.

But no biggy. Just passing along information I have read. Take what you want, leave the rest.

No, I'm talking about after harvest. Not when I put them in the ground.

edit: oops just noticed you replied that you realized that, ha

This may be better reason to stick with certified seed potato
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/...

Some gardeners do not put peels of store bought potatos in compost, either.

Good link! Thank you....

sallyg said:This may be better reason to stick with certified seed potato
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/...

Some gardeners do not put peels of store bought potatos in compost, either.

OK BUT... that's exactly how I grew my first potato. I accidentally discovered composting. I didn't weed the weeds in the chain link fence as a kid with a garden. July and August came, the heat came, the weeds came... the boy went about his summer vacation. The weeds grew and grew... The fall came. Pulling out the weeds along the fence, I saw the ground was black like someone had poured spent engine oil on the ground. Closer inspection showed that it wasn't oil, but the decomposition of the weeds! How that went to a compost pile, well I don't remember but I dumped everything in the pile, kitchen scraps, grass, you name it. One day I was pulling the weeds from the compost pile and noticed someone had tossed out a perfectly good potato! Then it dawned on me. That potato grew in the compost pile throughout the summer from the skins of potatoes that I had dumped in the compost pile! I've NEVER been able to grow potatoes that matched those potatoes. Don't know why. LOL. I get nice plants but small spuds.

The first of the seed starting today!

I made up some cell trays and planted Basil seed. Lots of Basil seed!! Do so love to have fresh Basil during the growing season.

That is the first of the seed to start. I wanted to get the basil in first as it does take a very long time to grow big enough to plant out.

Now more progress. I also planted my Fairy Tale Eggplant seeds. We will see what comes up as I put in 12 seeds. Whatever I get, I get. Not going to buy plants or do more eggplant seeds.

The reason I did them so early is that last year was the first time I tried eggplant from seed. But my plants were so small when planting time came and they never did get going. So this year starting the seed much earlier.

Pickings are getting slim now.
While I have started lettuce an broccoli in the cold frame. Tomatoes, peppers and eggplants wait until March. Eggplants in particular will stunt if they don't keep relatively rapid growth.

Newyorkrita said:Now more progress. I also planted my Fairy Tale Eggplant seeds. We will see what comes up as I put in 12 seeds. Whatever I get, I get. Not going to buy plants or do more eggplant seeds.

The reason I did them so early is that last year was the first time I tried eggplant from seed. But my plants were so small when planting time came and they never did get going. So this year starting the seed much earlier.

WAIT I need to catch up! LOL. I found a package of basil last night. I thought to myself... I could start the basil... I could start the basil... then I decided I would when I got home from work today. I may even go as far as plant the eggplant seeds I have. The test germination seed hasn't sprouted yet and it's been about a week. Not sure what the germination time should be.

thommesM said:

WAIT I need to catch up! LOL. I found a package of basil last night. I thought to myself... I could start the basil... I could start the basil... then I decided I would when I got home from work today. I may even go as far as plant the eggplant seeds I have. The test germination seed hasn't sprouted yet and it's been about a week. Not sure what the germination time should be.

I have no idea how long it takes for eggplant to sprout. Last year was the first time I did it from seed and I can't remember how long it took. But I decided to go this early as the plants were so small at planting time and I did wait till after my tomatoes and peppers were planted.

Basil takes along time to grow to planting out size. The little seedlings seem to stay really small for a long time.

So glad to have those two items started today.

Next up-- peppers.