Why did my bargain potatoes taste terrible?

ABOB SAYS Soil minerals can affect potato flavour and I wonder if your soil has low pH – if it’s too acidic, the crop could be disappointing. So I suggest you add lime to the soil in autumn to raise the pH. Don’t add lime right before planting though, as it can encourage potato scab. You could also add wood ash to improve the flavour. Overall, though, it sounds like your bargain-shop seed potatoes weren’t such a bargain. It’s a lot of wasted time and effort if the flavour of the crop was poor. In future I suggest you buy certified, commercially packaged tubers from a non-bargain source – it’s worth the extra cost and you can be sure they are the true variety.