Q: I am trying, with no luck, to find seed for “rooster potatoes.” I found these delicious little gems at a big box grocery and they are wonderful. The ones I bought don’t seem to want to sprout.

A: Rooster potato is a brand name initially sold in England but now introduced at Walmart. It has red skin and, some say, a distinctive taste. I believe it to be just a selection of red-skinned potato, not one that has a variety name attached. The store-bought potatoes have probably been sprayed with a chemical to prevent green sprouts in storage. If you can ever get one to sprout, though, you can use its offspring to grow rooster potatoes in your own garden each year. Plant golf ball-sized spuds in a sunny bed now and watch for sprouts in a few weeks. If none emerge, you haven’t lost much. If sprouts come forth, follow care directions at http://bit.ly/GApotato