Topic: Potatoes - True Potato Seed

[Jayb]

Anyone up for growing TPS this year? I'm going to start some at the beginning of March, or at least that's what I'm aiming at. I've got a few varieties I'd like to try, though I've not fully decided. Here's a previous thread http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,65493.0.html

If anyone wants some TPS let me know, I've spares and happy to share.

[Silverleaf]

I now have five different types, so I thought I'd give it a whirl! I don't have a lot of space though, unfortunately.

[markfield rover]

Would growing in pots be viable?

[Jayb]

I now have five different types, so I thought I'd give it a whirl! I don't have a lot of space though, unfortunately.

You could grow some of them in plant pots for mini tubers, choose the ones that catch your eye and then save them to plant next year. It works quite well if you are short for space or looking for a particular type? Say if you only wanted purple potatoes from the Violetta seed, plant little pots up with Violetta  seedlings and they will do their best to produce in the small space. It's amazing how they are able to produce a few tubers in even a roottrainer.

[Jayb]

Would growing in pots be viable?

Yes and I think Violetta tps would do quite well in pots, as they are not too aggressive in growth and I found set tubers quite early, a trait which should carry forward for some of them. If you are able pot your seedlings up a few times, as you would with say a tomato plant, before planting in a pot or grow bag. When you pot them on pot them quite deeply, helps them produce a good crop.

[markfield rover]

Thanks for that Jayb , I will be giving it a go mainly in pots but I will also pop a couple up the plot , referring to your  fab pictures, exciting!

[goodlife]

Yes, I think I might have ago again this year...since you have gifted us with some seeds 
Though I still have quite number of others in my seedbox...maybe I should go mad and sow the lot...
Last time I grew mine is BIG buckets and they did really well....looooads of spuds, though most were more of 'seed potatoes' , I did get few larger ones too for the dinner plate.

[Silverleaf]

I could totally grow in pots! That's a great idea. That way I can select, as you say Jayb, and grow the ones I like next year.

Then I can use my tiny bed 6'x4' for an "ordinary" crop.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I'll be growing it. Last year I planted a lot, in early March as you suggest. First a fox dug most of the Skagit Magic up, and I lost those plants. Then blight got everything else. SKM sailed straight through it. Winter storage is a bit of a problem, so I left the tubers in the ground. It's going to be interesting to see what, if anything, comes up!

[sparrow]

I'll be trying some in a pot. Have been looking forward to it.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I'm still sorting out the seed parcels, but it seems I have seven varieties of TPS. The emphasis is going to be on SKM, but it'll be interesting to see whether I can get anything else past the blight! I can come any time from June onward, so it's a lottery.

[jimc]

I can't get access to true potato seeds in Australia! What a pity.
I had heard there was a fellow in Tasmania doing research with new varieties and it had been his life's work. When he retired several years ago they closed the research unit and as far as I know disposed of all his valuable work and seeds and now just rely on commercial imports for our potato industry now.
I must keep searching to see if anyone might start up a similar program sometime.
While in the home garden we just put up with a couple of dozen varieties, some heirloom. I keep looking for "new" ones to me each year and give them a go. Nothing like all the fancy names I see bandied around here.

[Jayb]

I'd offer to send some but I think it would be against Australian rules. What about starting a breeding project of your own and produce your own TPS. Then you could select for what you like best and suits your growing conditions?

[goodlife]

I was just wondering.....does TPS seeds keep as well as tomato seeds?

[jimc]

I have collected naturally occurring fruit but never been able to germinate any of the small seeds inside.
Not sure if potatoes are self pollinating or not so maybe I should be more proactive and dust some pollen onto stigmas so I know they have been fertilised.
I have a couple flowering right now.

[galina]

I have collected naturally occurring fruit but never been able to germinate any of the small seeds inside.
Not sure if potatoes are self pollinating or not so maybe I should be more proactive and dust some pollen onto stigmas so I know they have been fertilised.
I have a couple flowering right now.

Jayb can give you the full information, but in order for the seeds to be viable, you need to leave the potato fruits on the plants for several weeks after they first develop.  Maybe, that was the problem, the seed inside weren't ripened enough?

I managed to grow my own tps once and left the fruits after harvesting for may weeks, before I extracted the seeds.  Until they were quite shrivelled.  And the seeds germinated easily, although they are quite small to handle.  Jayb is the expert on tps growing. 

[Silverleaf]

I went to the Chesterfield Potato Day this morning, and came away with two tubers each of twelve(!) different varieties to fill the 24 squares in the raised bed area I have for growing spuds. I couldn't narrow it down to just a couple, and since they were sold individually I thought why not try as many as possible?

Some varieties I deliberately picked because they are likely to set berries. I got five or six good berries from four Desiree plants last year which made loads of seed, so hopefully I'll have a few more selfed seeds this year and maybe even try a few crosses!

(I also got onions, garlic, various beans to add to my landraces, and best of all there was a seed swap that wasn't so much a seed swap as a "here's a bag, take whatever seeds you want, they're all free" kind of deal. :))

[markfield rover]

Okay chaps I am going in!

[Jayb]

I got a bit carried away and have sown more than I meant to 
Varieties sown -

Palest Pink Eye  (mother clone has been very LB resistant over the last 3 years)                 
Palest Pink Eye x Sarpo Mira
Violetta, open pollinated
Sarpo Mira, open pollinated
Kifli x Pink Fir Apple
Black Bog, open pollinated
Bolivian Yellow Hesh, open pollinated
Kifli x Ratte

Mixes
Huagalina, Landraces, Suytu Vilguince, Cocoon Khuchi, Khuchi Koochi and Khuchi Coo. Looking for a real hodge-podge of traits and hopefully some fairly wacky ones too!

Skagit Valley Gold, P1225694 x Sagit Valley Gold, Squat Orange Plus and Thunder Row. Hoping for some deep yellow to light orange flesh colours, fingers need to be crossed!

I won't have space to grow everything out, some will be for mini tubers.

[Jayb]

I have collected naturally occurring fruit but never been able to germinate any of the small seeds inside.
Not sure if potatoes are self pollinating or not so maybe I should be more proactive and dust some pollen onto stigmas so I know they have been fertilised.
I have a couple flowering right now.

Jayb can give you the full information, but in order for the seeds to be viable, you need to leave the potato fruits on the plants for several weeks after they first develop.  Maybe, that was the problem, the seed inside weren't ripened enough?

I managed to grow my own tps once and left the fruits after harvesting for may weeks, before I extracted the seeds.  Until they were quite shrivelled.  And the seeds germinated easily, although they are quite small to handle.  Jayb is the expert on tps growing. 

Sorry missed this.
Usually if a pod forms there will be viable seed inside, although how much seed can vary a lot. Hand pollinating certainly helps with some that are shy to set pods, but the added problem is some varieties are male sterile or flowers just don't form properly. often falling off at the bud stage. The seed pods need to be on the plants for at least 6 weeks, longer if possibly to mature the seed. Though once past the 6 weeks they can be picked and left to ripen inside. The little fruits soften and subtly change colour as they ripen and will give off a sweet type scent to let you know they are ripe. Seeds freshly processed can still be slow to germinate due to residue of inhibitors.