Author Topic: Growing potatoes from True Potato seed.  (Read 79680 times)

Tom Wagner

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Re: Growing potatoes from True Potato seed.
« Reply #40 on: May 16, 2011, 22:58:10 »
I really enjoyed reading the posts here lately.  Especially the ones by JayB and 1066.

I linked to some of the pictures of the TPS (True Potato Seed) seedlings on my forum..
tatermater dot proboards dot com.  I  am pleased to see the plugs with multiple seeds per cube as this natural crowding produces the best seedlings for transplanting.  I love the time transitions from sowing to emerging seedlings to plants ready for the first transplanting...very orderly!

The single plant from the Skagit Magic is beautiful and I recognize the plant since it looks much like the original Skagit Magic.  It shows the leaf pattern of the diploid background in the genetic components.  I have over 1,000 full sibs of it here in Washington growing in the greenhouse.  That single plant showing the buds should be a marvelous bloomer just like dear old Mom.

I am hoping the extreme Late Blight resistance will manifest itself among the sib family of Skagit Magic.  I've also sent seed to Wales to a very renown researcher who named the most devastating blight strain...the Blue 13. This researcher will help me connect the dots to hopefully providing data across the UK for blight resistance and juxtapose this information with results from growers in a number of States within the USA.

The coloring of the leaves and stems do...indeed.....portray a glimpse into skin color and flesh color.  Redder stems and more purple stems will suggest red skin and purple skin and light yellow green leaves will portend an orange flesh.  The deeper hues of color along the edges of the leaves can be traced back to ancestors above 10,000 ft. elevation in Peru.  Those are linked genetic traits allowing potatoes to take intense light intensities and even a touch of frost.

My Grandfather Kaighin came from the Isle of Man over a hundred years ago and now my potato seeds are immigrants within the UK.  A good part of my knowledge came from Joe Kaighin...he grew the Up To Date variety just outside of Bride, IOM.

My Great-Great Grandfather Tom Wagner left Luxembourg for the USA partly due to the devastation of the blight on potatoes in his country at the same time as the blight hit Ireland.  The few years following the potato blight was hit hard by a wheat failure. The farms were small since the children inherited the farm equally and who could live on smaller and smaller plots?  They were probably the size of allotments.javascript:replaceText('%20::)',%20document.forms.postmodify.message);

Tom Wagner

1066

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Re: Growing potatoes from True Potato seed.
« Reply #41 on: May 17, 2011, 10:01:19 »
lovely to hear from you Tom, especially about the history of your family,and the relation to the potato famines across Europe.

I don't think we have any members from the IOM on A4A, lovely part of the country though.

My TPS will be planted out this week, and I'll be sure to keep you updated  :)

chriscross1966

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Re: Growing potatoes from True Potato seed.
« Reply #42 on: May 17, 2011, 12:59:39 »
I've got some TPS seedlings up now, just about at the end of what they can be left to in their modules, thoguh there are some latecomers just germinating...going to pot them out into bigger pots in the next couple of days, but then where's best?... I can give them pots on an autowatering system or else they can go into the ground on one of the plots....

chrisc

Robert_Brenchley

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Re: Growing potatoes from True Potato seed.
« Reply #43 on: May 17, 2011, 16:48:13 »
I have four of your Skagit Magic seeds up; I'd be interested to hear more about how these do. I haven't grown TPS before, but if it's a success I'll be after more next winter! I'm hoping for resistance to our local blight strains, as blight's now endemic on my allotment site, and it's extremely difficult to grow anything but earlies.

Jayb

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Re: Growing potatoes from True Potato seed.
« Reply #44 on: May 18, 2011, 08:46:51 »
Wholeheartedly agree Tom, she is a real beauty, the first flowers are starting to open and yes such a lot of buds in sight.   

Skagit Magic taken 17th May
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I hope I have understood this right, as a diploid it will not self fertilize.  The only available pollen to me at present is Purple majesty and Orla, which interestingly has “excellent tuber blight resistance” . http://varieties.potato.org.uk/display_description.php?variety_name=Orla So I’m going to have a practice transferring some pollen and hope I get a fruit to set!

1000, Wow what a lot of plants to get in! I guess this may just be the tip of the iceberg too!

Last year late blight was shockingly early here, hit my earlies ouch! Despite the dry weather here, I had notification last week two Full Smith Periods for my area. Makes me a little uneasy and some raises questions of why am I growing so many potatoes and tomatoes?  So huge hopes here too that a Skagit Magic will hold their own. I sincerely wish you every success with your progress with blight resistance.

Tom, really fascinating information, thanks  for sharing your insight to these potato traits . I’m finding it exciting to have a preview which enables me to look at my plants in a whole new way.

I agree with 1066 it is really interesting to hear about your History and in some ways share a tiny bit of it through your crops.
Quote
now my potato seeds are immigrants within the UK

Ah but it is not just potatoes, there's beans and tomatoes too! And I think they are settling in as UK residents just fine.
Seed Circle site http://seedsaverscircle.org/
My Blog, Mostly Tomato Mania http://mostlytomatomania.blogspot.co.uk/

Jayb

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Re: Growing potatoes from True Potato seed.
« Reply #45 on: May 18, 2011, 08:58:54 »
Glad they are doing well for you Chrisc, they were my first seeds I processed using TSP and hot water method, it was a bit scary and a leap of faith! The seeds germinated well for me too. though not as close together as Tom's. My plants are perhaps a little ahead of yours, I’ve just been planting out my Rattes, interestingly some already had some mini tubers formed while in their little pots. Tubers were mostly creamy white or yellow, but one or two have red eyes.

Bearing in mind I’m very much a learner here, pot the seedlings up fairly deep (helps for a good crop). I’m planting the majority of mine in the garden, planting them at the bottom of a trench and I'll earth them up as they grow. They really do grow on at a fast pace, I still can’t get over how such a tiny seedling grows into such a large plant and produces tubers too.

Seed Circle site http://seedsaverscircle.org/
My Blog, Mostly Tomato Mania http://mostlytomatomania.blogspot.co.uk/

Tattieman

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Re: Growing potatoes from True Potato seed.
« Reply #46 on: May 18, 2011, 10:40:06 »
Wow what a great read this is. I tried to save some seed that I had cross pollinated with some Sarpo varieties last year but the wife chucked the seeds out.

I will try and do some more crossing this year and see what happens. I would be interested in late blight resistant varieties.

Jayb

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Re: Growing potatoes from True Potato seed.
« Reply #47 on: May 18, 2011, 12:15:26 »
Hi Tattieman,

Lol, oh dear! Shame about last years seeds and easily done. Good luck with your crosses this season and better luck finding a safe spot to store them.

I’m pretty sure I bought some Sarpo Mira amongst others from you this year. Have to agree a cross or two would be good.

I noticed on your site a little while back a small bit on ‘seeds’ seed potatoes and wonder if you have plans to be selling them in the future, if indeed the EU has not put a stop to that?
Seed Circle site http://seedsaverscircle.org/
My Blog, Mostly Tomato Mania http://mostlytomatomania.blogspot.co.uk/

Tattieman

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Re: Growing potatoes from True Potato seed.
« Reply #48 on: May 18, 2011, 14:57:26 »
Hi Tattieman,

Lol, oh dear! Shame about last years seeds and easily done. Good luck with your crosses this season and better luck finding a safe spot to store them.

I’m pretty sure I bought some Sarpo Mira amongst others from you this year. Have to agree a cross or two would be good.

I noticed on your site a little while back a small bit on ‘seeds’ seed potatoes and wonder if you have plans to be selling them in the future, if indeed the EU has not put a stop to that?


Now that would be interesting to sell them but I do not know what the laws would be.  We are registered seed merchants but would the EU allow TSP to be sold. Harvesting would be alot of work and how do you guarantee that the seed is what it is meant to be.

It would be really great to do as we could probably export worldwide but if David and Simon have some of these seeds at their research centre in Bangor then some may be available soon as seed potatoes.

I would like to try and develop some new blight resistant varieties and some fancy coloured flesh varieties but as you say I need a safe place to store the seed ;D

1066

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Re: Growing potatoes from True Potato seed.
« Reply #49 on: July 15, 2011, 14:12:21 »
Hi, wondering about how everyone's TPS are doing. Some of mine have started to form flower buds, not open yet..... the excitement starts  ;D

Robert_Brenchley

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Re: Growing potatoes from True Potato seed.
« Reply #50 on: July 15, 2011, 18:52:34 »
Mine were planted in May; they're in 4-inch pots, with a lot of variation in the amount of growth. Some are going  like mad. I'll be putting them out soon.

1066

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Re: Growing potatoes from True Potato seed.
« Reply #51 on: July 16, 2011, 06:15:35 »
Yes I've noticed a variation in growth, some were leaping ahead, and I did wonder if they were struggling for water, but they've been well mulched, and I have been watering them (occaisionally). I did notice that once they were out of their pots and in the ground they romped away very quickly.

Jayb

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Re: Growing potatoes from True Potato seed.
« Reply #52 on: July 16, 2011, 15:02:00 »
Its great to hear your updates. Have to agree growing TPS is exciting and fun, I especially like the not quite knowing what you are going to get. I've noticed the differences in growth too and some varieties seem more varied than others.

I was sorting some pictures to add to the thread yesterday but got distracted looking for some info about Black bog. I’m growing these from tubers this year but early signs are these should be good for some berries.  http://irishseedsavers.ie/supporters/maincrop.php

Really pleased with the varieties I’m growing from Tom Wagner. Lots of flowers at the moment and I’m fingers crossed for berries. I’m trying not to get too excited but I have a patch of Skagit Magic alongside Cocoon Khuchi and these are the most advanced, both look to have lots of berries yayyyyyyy

Other Tps I've sown; Red Cara, Ratte, Russian Blue and Russian Banana have come on a treat and have some have lovely flowers, although this weather is not going to help.

I’ve also been trying my hand at making some crosses which is soooooooooooooo much fun. Early days yet but I’m hopeful some will take.

pictures to follow

Seed Circle site http://seedsaverscircle.org/
My Blog, Mostly Tomato Mania http://mostlytomatomania.blogspot.co.uk/

Robert_Brenchley

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Re: Growing potatoes from True Potato seed.
« Reply #53 on: July 16, 2011, 19:57:57 »
I don't know whether I'm in time to get berries, maybe I'm more likely to get seed potatoes. The main thing is to see what comes through the inevitable blight - hopefully some will - and breed from them next year. Now I know how to grow TPS, I'll probably get more for next year.

chriscross1966

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Re: Growing potatoes from True Potato seed.
« Reply #54 on: July 17, 2011, 08:27:55 »
THe ones I've got seem to cover a broad spectrum, a couple of real runts but also some that are looking very healthy indeed. Russian Blue stock generally better than Ratte stock, I've got some spare seed left over that I will sow next year a bit earlier hopefully, getting quite excited cos there were small tubers apparent on both sorts at the last transplant when they went from 4" pots up into the biggies they're in now.... will be doing a final earth up next week....

chrisc

Jayb

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Re: Growing potatoes from True Potato seed.
« Reply #55 on: July 17, 2011, 10:42:54 »
I noticed last year that the really straggly plants didn’t go on to do much, or not in the time frame they had.

Robert, do your plants look close to flowering? I was late planting some of my tubers this year and some have buds just opening others are a couple of weeks away from flowering. I’m still hopeful if they avoid blight and set fruit there is time for berries to mature enough to produce seed.

I wonder if you keep a couple in their pots if that will shock them into producing mini tubers and flowering a bit sooner? It will certainly be interesting to have an idea of a cutoff date for berry production.

I know what you mean Chrisc, I can’t wait for harvest time! I did have a couple of mini pots of Ratte, R. Blue and R.Banana growing (no space to plant them out), which have produced some small little mini tubers. I was going to eat them at first but decided to save them and see what they are capable of producing next year-if they store that long!
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Robert_Brenchley

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Re: Growing potatoes from True Potato seed.
« Reply #56 on: July 17, 2011, 16:43:46 »
Nowhere near flowering yet. I hadn't thought of keeping them in pots, but I have some big ones which would do it. The main thing is to get something I can keep till next year!

1066

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Re: Growing potatoes from True Potato seed.
« Reply #57 on: July 17, 2011, 22:41:24 »
they are a bit addictive aren't they! There's me thinking of cutting back on the spuds we grow at the same time pondering what other TPS I could try  ::)

Robert_Brenchley

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Re: Growing potatoes from True Potato seed.
« Reply #58 on: July 17, 2011, 23:31:56 »
The most important thing from my angle is the chance of getting blight resistant spuds!

1066

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Re: Growing potatoes from True Potato seed.
« Reply #59 on: July 18, 2011, 15:12:13 »
hope you are successful Robert. Fingers crossed

After the weekend's rain, the TPS have shot up, more earthing up/mulching needed.

 

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