The Modern Victory Garden

I've had fun reading your website over the past few days.

I have always heard that the challenge of saving seed potatoes is that your seed stock eventually accumulates potato viruses. Have you encountered this problem? How many years do you get before you have to start over with new certified virus free stock?

Thanks for your input.

Welcome to the site!  

I have not had a big problem with build up of disease in potatoes - at least not until this past year.   I had a late blight infection that hit my tomatoes and some of the potatoes.   To be on the safe side, I did not save any seed potatoes this past year and am purchasing fresh certified seed stock to start the 2010 year off with.   Generally, if you only buy certified to begin with and then practice  crop rotation, the chance for disease introduction is kept quite minimal. 

Usually I only buy new seed potatoes when I want to try a new variety or if I am aware of disease that has impacted the potato bed (this past year's blight for example).    I also just purchased all new seed stock when we moved from central Washington to western Washington (moved in 2005 puchased seed potatoes in 2006) mainly because  I wanted to change varieties to one's that would grow better in this very different climate.   In fact, that was the last time I purchased seed potatoes up until the blight infestation this year.

You will have to occassionally purchase seed potatoes, but it is very possible to get many years of production without buying your seed stock each year.