Potato growing videos on you tube.

Just been watching vids on spud growing on you tube, got on to american links, check out thebayougardner, if only for the fun of seeing s rather portly gentleman planting spuds with the aid of a golf buggy. Any way, our american friends seem to like cutting their seed potatoes in half, letting the wet end heal and then planting out uncut side up. Has anyone triede this and if so what results have you had. If it works the you could double your amount of plants in theory, let me know what you think.  

Yes you can cut your potatoes into pieces as long as each piece has an eye on it.
When we export seed abroad this is quite a common thing to do as they can double the numbers of tubers planted and this will increase the size of their crop.

Hi Iain, is there a reason why it's not considered common practise here then?

The cost of labour and time taken to cut tubers into pieces and the fact that seed potatoes are readily available over here is why we don't cut them over here.
There could also be a disease issue if you cut a tuber that had a disease and you spread it to all the other cut tubers. Cut potatoes are easy pickings for slugs and wireworm.

I'm sure my Grandfather and Dad used to cut potatoes in two as long as each had chitted.  A very old idea.

cathangirl