ONLY GROW CERTIFIED SEED POTATOES. Please, please, please, be a good neighbor and only grow certified seed potatoes. If there is one message we wish to leave with you, it is, ONLY GROW CERTIFIED SEED POTATOES.

Hello, and welcome to Johnny Potato Seed (JPS). We are your number one source for the highest quality certified single drop seed potatoes. Johnny Potato Seed is a passion project of Jon Agnew and Brian Smith. We run a seed potato services company that works with numerous growers, plant breeders, and certification organizations across the United States and Canada. Our specialization is in potato pathology and cultivar identification.

We started JPS to put gardeners, nurseries, hobby farmers, and commercial operations a direct source to the best selection of certified seed potatoes and to archive our potato philosophy for those who share our interest in growing tubers. We think potatoes are one of the best plants to grow. Spuds have a long rich history of feeding the world, they can grow anywhere, and they produce some of the most beautiful plants, flowers, and vegetables agriculture has to offer. We hope to use our work and experience to reduce the amount of “bad potato seed” on the internet and to raise awareness of improper potato practices. Grow with us as we share with you our expertise and fantastic spuds.

A seed potato is a tuber intended for replanting; any potato grown for consumption is not a seed potato. In the USA, seed potato certification is mostly a state matter. Currently, 18 states have vested authority in certification programs to conduct in-season and post-harvest inspections/tests to determine disease percentages and varietal homogeneity. This current certification regime is a federalist marble-cake of rules, tolerances, and nomenclature. It is dissimilar between all the states... non-profits, State Department’s of Agriculture, Universities, and quasi-private organizations are the means of enforcement. Nevertheless, if the tuber didn’t meet the rules and expectations of the State, the tuber is not considered a seed potato. Grocery store potatoes or ware potatoes should never be grown as seed.

In 2026, globally, potatoes are mostly grown by tuber propagation and not true seed. This means that spuds are different and grown from other tubers or pieces of tuber, known as a seed piece. Most crops are produced by a seed—an encased plant embryo—like sunflowers, sugar beets, carrots, corn, alfalfa, tomatoes, and grass. Potatoes do produce tiny little seed in berries, after the flowers have been pollinated. However, these typically have genetic dissimilarity among the progeny and sometimes are sterile, especially in russets. True Potato Seed or TPS may very well be the future of potato cultivation in the United States. But until that shift happens, we hope to be the very best place to find quality seed potato tubers on the Internet.

Certification is a state level, multi-faceted, quality control program with several inspections and testing procedures to help growers produce the most viable seed possible. Special attention goes to Potato Virus Y, Bacterial Ring Rot, Potato Leaf-Roll Virus, Phytoplasma-Like Organisms (PLOs), Chemical Injury, and Varietal Homogeneity. Planting only certified seed is the best first step a grower makes when cultivating potatoes.

Wisconsin was the first to certify seed potatoes in 1914. In the year 2026, certification of potatoes is undergone in the following states: AK, CA, CO, ID, ME, MI, MN, MT, NE, NV, NY, ND, OR, UT, WA, WI, and WY. All states are NOT the same in regard to certification, but most, generally, have summer inspections, harvest/post harvest inspections, and a shipping point inspection.

A single drop seed potato is an uncut, whole seed tuber. Many commercial growers cut their larger tubers into pieces to facilitate planting equipment, bolster uniformity, and stretch their seed stock. These conventional growing techniques depend heavily on pesticides and still result in the spread of viruses, bacteria, and fungi. We take a different approach with sourcing whole, uncut tubers, with their natural protective skin intact. By planting single-drop certified seed spuds, we aim to resist those pests naturally, without relying on chemistry and luck.

We exclusively supply growers with single-drop seed potatoes, targeting an ideal weight of 2.25–3.5 oz per tuber... (unless you need something else, contact us.) We believe the European single-drop style offers the best defense against disease. Much like human skin, a potato’s skin is its primary immune system; every cut or bruise creates an entry point for pathogens. When you cut seed potatoes, the knife acts as a vector for viral, fungal, and bacterial infections. By choosing our whole, single-drop seed, you ensure a vigorous, uniform, and disease-free start for your crop.

Success in the field begins with seed selection, and at Johnny Potato Seed, we lead the industry standard. We exclusively source our garden seed from Montana’s multi-generational growers who have championed early generation seed farming, land stewardship, and new up and coming cultivars. These growers don’t cut any corners and pay attention to all the meticulous details. Our growers take pride in producing certified seed that is regrown though out North America. Order from us and experience firsthand the Montana superiority.

We bring a scientist’s precision to every order. We have a deep expertise in plant pathological analysis and state-specific certification compliance to ensure your crop meets the highest health standards. Whether you are looking for one pound or one million, by land, air, or sea, we are your modern partner for high-performance, clean seed. Let us know what you need and what your challenges are to pair you with the best seed potato possible.

Montana’s unique geographic comparative advantage. High altitude cultivation, short summers, and cold winters make Montana a natural safe haven against disease. Unlike other growing regions plagued by late blight and heavy aphid pressure, our cold climate suppresses insect vectors and prevents fungal outbreaks. One grower here calls it the “Montana Vigor”. Seed spuds that are physiologically primed to take off the moment they are planted in the soil.

When it comes to seed potato production, Montana is far from the “Wild, Wild, West”. Our industry is among the most heavily regulated, maintaining uncompromising standards for disease tolerance and certification. Every potato originates from a closed-loop sterile tissue culture plantlet system, administered by Montana State University. No outside seed is permitted entry into the state—if you grow in the Big Sky State, you start with the best.