question about chitted potatoes - Ask Extension
In 2024 I got seed potatoes from a garden center, which I planted that year. In 2025 I planted some of the potatoes that were from the 2024 harvest. N...
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question about chitted potatoes #925768
Asked March 10, 2026, 12:18 PM EDT
In 2024 I got seed potatoes from a garden center, which I planted that year. In 2025 I planted some of the potatoes that were from the 2024 harvest. Now this year, 2026, I have potatoes from the ones I harvested in 2025 and was planning on planting those. My question is how many years in a row can you plant from the previous year's harvest?
Is this safe or should I be buying new seed potatoes every other year?
I do rotate my crops which are grown in 3ft x 6ft bins that are 3ft tall. They are all filled with the Hugelkultur method and each fall they are topped off with either shredded leaves or compost from my compost bins.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Annette Ralph
St. Louis County Minnesota
Expert Response
Hi Annette,
It is best to purchase new seed potatoes every year from a certified grower or seed distributor (such as a garden center). Most often, this will produce stronger and more vigorous plants.
Potatoes from your own garden can carry over disease spores from the previous year, even if your garden seems disease-free, unfortunately. These potatoes are also grown with "food" as the purpose, not with seed use as the goal. Here is a great UMN article with more information: https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/protecting-trees-and-shrubs-winter
I hope this helps!
