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 Hi, I have given in and ordered some heritage potato micro plants,has anyone grown these and if so can you give me some tips please.There are several varieties and were quite expensive so want to give it my best shot. My new toy for this year perhaps ? I figured I would grow them in black exhibitor bags,another first. All ideas appreciated . Thank you Jeannine

Ooo good oh!  I have no idea I'm afraid Jeannine, but will watch with eager eyes as I have eyed them up in seed catalogues time and time again, but don't know if they would be worth the effort.  Convince me someone?!?!?!

Now you know why I said I have given in!! XX Jeannine.

Treat them like any other (expensive) half hardy plug plant - as they are susceptible to frost.

As soon as you get them pot them on into a 3" pot with your favourite compost in a warm light place and stand back, they grow at a tremendous rate (similar to dahlia cuttings)

Grow on until end of May (or when threat of frosts has gone), if necessary moving into a 5" pot. Harden off before planting out with the top couple of leaves above ground level. Make sure the ground has plenty of organic matter. Then treat like ordinary potatoes but be as lavish as you like with liquid feed and make sure they don't dry out.

In the first year you will probably only get a few small tubers to use as seeds for next year. As you will be saving your own seed be very careful about disease. Douse with copper fungicide if there is any hint of blight in the area (repeating every 2 weeks) and lift the earliest you would for a variety of its type. If you do see blight on the leaves, lift immediately and carefull wash and dry the tubers to remove any chance of spores being on them. Don't worry if they are small they will perform well next year.

Guard them over the winter and next year you will have real seed potatoes to plant as normal - and amaze your friends by being a potato devotee!

Phil

Incidentally which varieties have you ordered?

Slight confession - Waitrose were selling Fortyfold and Arran Victory both of which can only be bought as micros (I think) and I am chitting two of each to grow in containers at home.

I've done the micro plants for salad blue and highland red, you've had good advice already. I'm sure Arran Victory was still available as tubers at Ryton this year
???

Arran Victory was the "I think" one - have only seen the Fortyfold on Alan Romans as a micro.

Thank you so much.
I have ordered,a variety pack with 1 plant each of Heather,The Bishop,Di Vernon,Sherine,Peurple eyed,Aaron Comrade,plus a second pack of 2 plants of each of,Salad Blue,Highland RedBurg,Mr Liitles  Yetholm Gypsy.
I t sounds very interesting and maybe a way of getting some spuds that you can't get as tubers. XX Jeannine

Heard somewhere about using the sprouts of the chitted spuds as microplants, treat as a cutting. Got a suspision it might have been GQT this week, can hear it if you like on the web site. might be the way to go for next years seed spuds of the favoirites ??? ;)
I think I'll give it a go and see what happens ;D

Quote from: LILACSPLASH on February 14, 2007, 23:43:07
Heard somewhere about using the sprouts of the chitted spuds as microplants, treat as a cutting. ....

Sprouts do well as cuttings and are very easy to take, especially if you let them develop small roots before you take them from the tuber - but they aren't microplants.

Microplants are grown from very small pieces of plant tissue that are taken from disease free material. The sprouts will have the same diseases that the parent tuber had (if any)

Phil

One year, probably over a decade ago, HDRA seed library did some rare pots.. I got Aura and Lord Roseberry, which were excellent potatoes but eventually my stock got too many viruses and the yield dropped off too much to make it worth carrying them on... probably got seven years out of them!
;D

Hi Saddad, this was the interest I think for me, the old heirloom spuds. Thank you  Jeannine XX

I want the black and blue spuds... cant remember the names but i refuse to pay for micro plants as i'm a tight git! :P

Oh come on, anyone who incubates chicks has to be a bit of a softee,I am jealous of the incubator, I left mine behind when I came back to the Uk,there is nothing like watching that egg as it starts to go!!I really do miss that and my Buffs. I will try to remember if I get any yeild I will save you a couple of tubers of the red/white and blues.I know it is one of them. XX Jeannine

OO

Try http://www.tuckers-seeds.co.uk/productsearch.php?wild=vitelotte&Submit=Find

dark blue. Serving suggestion at
http://www.deliciousdays.com/archives/2005/08/08/blue-vitelotte-potato-chips-with-cheddar-cheese/
Phil

This place has a stall at my local farmers market.

http://www.heritage-potatoes.co.uk/shop.php

I got mine there last year and they were great.

Highland Burgundy, Arran Victory and Dunbar Rover.

Sad to say i had a really bad experience with my heriatge pots :(  Yethom Gypsy.  We got them very late and the plants weren't very good when they arrived, both down to the supplier, not late ordering.  I loved them and cared for them as much as is humanly possible.  Put them out, and lost every single one, they just shriveled up and died!!

I hope you have a much better experience than I did, looks like I may have just been unlucky.  Maybe I'll try again next year ???

Quote from: Jeannine on February 15, 2007, 13:22:09
Oh come on, anyone who incubates chicks has to be a bit of a softee,I am jealous of the incubator, I left mine behind when I came back to the Uk,there is nothing like watching that egg as it starts to go!!I really do miss that and my Buffs. I will try to remember if I get any yeild I will save you a couple of tubers of the red/white and blues.I know it is one of them. XX Jeannine

Don't talk to me about incubators its a swear word in my house - look on the livestock page and find out about my saga LOL.

Seriously i am crap with any delicate plants or anything that needs watering more than once a month!

Hi. I have been reading your saga, don't give up heart, I fried the first few I did and I do know the feeling when you just have to open them for a look. My first incubator was a miserable thing that was very hit and miss, then I got one that automatically turned evrything on racks and it worked great.It was only made of polystyrene and held onle 30 eggs but very reliable. I would have another if I still had my acreage but sadly my garden is just that , without the lottie I would be lost.I did get a trio of Silver Wyandottes a couple of years ago but it was not to be. 1 vanished,then the next, the last one we gave to our local park for their fancy chicken enclosure. I still envy you with the prospect of being a chickgran though. XX Jeannine