Potato Seeds

[RogueRose]

I got a few of these this year. How is it growing these instead of using spuds? Better? Worse? Harder? Easier? Any way to store them til next year when I'm ready to plant? How do I even use these things?

[TZ -OH6]

If you are talking about seeds out of the little green berries, there is a big informative thread that I tried searching for but failed

Short answer: it's harder and worse.

Its not really worth it for commecial varieties if you don't know what you are doing. True potato seed does not breed true because all commercial potatoes are hybrids, and starting from a little seed sets the plant back compared to starting from a big peice of tuber, so production is lower.

The reasons to do it are to "invent" strange and new varieties and to get away from the cost of certified seed potatoes (tubers).

[applestar]

Search for TPS in the google custom search strip and get at least 4 relevant threads in the result.

...haven't dug my 6 TPS grown plants yet. I'm concerned that the area too much water -- more than I expected.

[RogueRose]

Yeah I figured it would be harder since they're so little. I guess it's not worth saving them then and just use the tubers and eyes again. I was all excited though because this is the first year that I got the little berries.

[rainbowgardener]

Here's one of the true potato seed threads people were referring to (and it has links to others)

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... p?p=145033

Potatoes don't grow true from seed, so you won't get the same variety.

I have never tried growing potatoes from seed, but my impression is it is a lot harder. Plant your seed and get a vine. Then the vine grows mini-tubers. Then you can plant the mini-tubers like you would plant potato eyes.

[TZ -OH6]

The post is cut off (fifth post down). What happended to it?

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... p?p=145033





I plant my potato berry seed at the same time I plant my tomato seeds and treat them the same way with multiple repottings (I should really start earleir though). At the end of the year, production is about a quarter to a half that of a tuber started plant, but that is partially from my culture as I don't try for better and generally get them in the ground weeks after they could go in. The tubers are perhaps a little small but not mini tubers if done that way. Mini and micro tubers result if you leave the plants in the little pots their whole life. I can plant about ten feet of row the next year from one seed-one plant. Half of my garden is planted in a variety started from one seed two years ago. But that meant only eating one tuber that whole time to see if it was a variety worth keeping.


There are two websites now selling Tom Wagner TPS for potatoes in a plethora of colors shapes and sizes.

[tomc]

I'll take all your unwanted potato berries for Robin Marble's give away. I'll gladly send postage.

[cynthia_h]

The post is cut off (fifth post down). What happended to it?

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... p?p=145033





I plant my potato berry seed at the same time I plant my tomato seeds and treat them the same way with multiple repottings (I should really start earleir though). At the end of the year, production is about a quarter to a half that of a tuber started plant, but that is partially from my culture as I don't try for better and generally get them in the ground weeks after they could go in. The tubers are perhaps a little small but not mini tubers if done that way. Mini and micro tubers result if you leave the plants in the little pots their whole life. I can plant about ten feet of row the next year from one seed-one plant. Half of my garden is planted in a variety started from one seed two years ago. But that meant only eating one tuber that whole time to see if it was a variety worth keeping.


There are two websites now selling Tom Wagner TPS for potatoes in a plethora of colors shapes and sizes.

I used your link, TZ, and there were two pages of posts, including your links to photos and articles. Not sure what you experienced with the five articles only. But the TPS thread is a Sticky; not likely that we'll mess with anything like that! Here's the link I have from reading through it just now: https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... 48&t=27200

but I never can figure out how the forum software numbers things.... Sorry.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[TZ -OH6]

This post was originally several pages long and was a detailed A to Z on what is known about using TPS. It barely gets started See the funky coding that can be seen because the closing half of the code was cut off?

And there is a strange out of place post of mine on the second page that should be the very end of the long post If you all see the long post with colored headers etc., then it is my account choking on the length.

The post as I see it and copied it.


Some pics to pique your interest in exploring the world of potatoes from TPS
https://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/File ... tatoes.JPG

https://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/File ... tatoes.JPG

https://www.netikka.net/vallinmaki/potat ... 8-2009.pdf

https://daughterofthesoil.blogspot.com/2 ... atoes.html

If you have no idea what this thread is about you may want skip the technical stuff at the beginning and jump down to near the middle of the post to the section Why Grow from TPS?


Growing potatoes from true (botanical) seed (not “seed tubersâ€


Last edited by TZ -OH6 on Sun Jun 27, 2010 8:45 am, edited 3 times in total.

[DoubleDogFarm]

I find them no harder to start than tomatoes.

Here is my little potato project

Unknown red potato tubers given to me.



Mini tubers heldover from last year


This years true seed. I had grand plans, but no time to execut.




Looking back over the rows. True seed bed are small, Mini tuber bed is medium and Clone bed is large. Eating new potatoes from the clone bed.

Both the mini tuber and true seed seem to be producing flowers and not much in the way of tuber production.

Eric