We’ve all found one: a forgotten potato at the back of the pantry with several determined-looking sprouts growing from its eyes. Throwing it away feels wasteful, especially when those sprouts make it look ready to become an entire crop of free potatoes. Technically, planting grocery store potatoes can produce plants because the potato itself is a tuber capable of generating new growth, but gardening experts consistently recommend a different approach. North Carolina State says supermarket potatoes may be treated with sprout inhibitors and recommends certified disease-free seed potatoes instead. The real catch isn’t whether a grocery potato can grow—it’s whether saving a few dollars is worth introducing an unknown disease into your garden.
