SKAGIT VALLEY GOLD -potato variety

**Tom Wagner** · July 12, 2012

SKAGIT VALLEY GOLD

This year...2012...represents the tenth year I have been growing this variety. I make reference to it often and I thought maybe it should have a thread all of its own. It is a diploid potato...deriving from Solanum phureja for the most part and represents one of the best yellow/orange fleshed potato varieties outside of Peru.

It has been five years since I last grew nuclear generation certified seed potatoes of it, but it still remains vigorous without being laden down with virus like so many other varieties would be. The picture of it growing in one of my cooperator's gardens is proof positive that it is resistant to the major viruses that plague almost all other varieties.

I like it because it has great flavor and has nearly 16 times the carotenoids of yellow fleshed varieties like Yukon Gold. It cooks much faster than other varieties and it should be in markets everywhere...except I am not a businessman.

I lament the fact that I could not sustain the certification of the variety by myself...way too expensive to maintain. I do offer TPS of it on my website...most of my regular readers know that site. It has been increasingly been available in complicated progenies as well.

This topic is a place holder and I will likely put a sticky on it as well.

I am hoping readers will come to this forum to learn about this variety and that many posts will be forthcoming. Thanks in advance for any input.

Tom Wagner (Potato Breeder)

**Tom Wagner** · July 18, 2012

Out collecting pollen from the SKAGIT VALLEY GOLD potato row for crossing to other diploid potatoes. My crossing apron says TATER MATER... and was sown by one of my cooperators...Donna Marie. When folks ask me what I do for a living...I say Tater Mater!

Medbury Gardens · July 18, 2012

I can only imagine the facial expressions when you tell folks that Tom.

Sounds like a nice spud,might have to buy some TPS of it from you i think.

NathanP · May 17, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by Medbury Gardens

I can only imagine the facial expressions when you tell folks that Tom.

I have to say, that I've been on the internet through some public wifi in places I work recently, and it blocks the www.tatermater.★★★★★★★★★.com site ...

Tom sells TPS of similar lines on these two websites:

http://www.tomwagnerseeds.com/index....toes/tps.html\

http://newworldcrops.com/zen/index.p...b460f23b323708

meadowyck · July 18, 2012

Tom so when is your first cross of tater x mater going to happen.....LOL

As with your others this one is very interesting. Since I have limited space, I'm going to be trying a few taters above ground ben to see how they would do. I'll report back on that project at a later time.

wmontanez · July 18, 2012

This is one of the best potato I've tasted. Tom has many good lines but this one is my favorite so far. One day I hope to see it in catalogs worldwide.

**Tom Wagner** · May 7, 2013

Two years in a row I have planted some SKAGIT VALLEY GOLD potatoes within minutes of digging them. The potatoes were planted May 2011 and dug one year later May 2012. These same potatoes were dug today and planted May 6, 2013.

The idea I am presenting is to prove that potatoes don't have to be stored out of the ground. I dug around 100 pounds of SKAGIT VALLEY GOLD here in Skagit County, Washington. I lifted the tubers out of the weeds...dandelions, clover, etc. and broke the apical sprout off as I dug. I wanted no sprouts left on and by removing the one main sprout the rest of the eyes will wake up and grow lots of sprouts making for multiple stems. I spaced the tubers uncut about 10 inches apart in 40 some inch rows.

The photos....

I dropped some organic fertilizer and nutrients in the row befor covering the 330 ft. of row. Based on past yield data...this row below should yield about 1,000 lbs. of some of the best tasting potatoes anywhere.

wingnut · May 10, 2013

An EXCELLENT potato, I always seem to eat them up first......

Catherine+two · May 11, 2013

Um, based on missed potatoes and garlic cloves, I figured out some years ago that I could re-plant as soon as I harvested. I also plant peas, lettuce, parsnip, and carrot seeds as I clean up the garden in the fall, as those are the plants that self-seed like crazy. It makes the spring planting season much calmer.

Oh, I live in a dry climate, so seeds rotting before they sprout is unlikely.

Catherine

mc568 · May 17, 2013

This sounds really good so I went to search for seed potatoes but I didn't find any.

Does anyone sell this type or is it just something that you sell locally or just an experimental potato?

wingnut · May 18, 2013

I am sold out for the year, but PM my your info and I will contact you next year. Check with Tom Wagner as well, he may still have some...if he can find time to send em' out right now. We are all in the middle of planting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mc568

This sounds really good so I went to search for seed potatoes but I didn't find any.

Does anyone sell this type or is it just something that you sell locally or just an experimental potato?

**Tom Wagner** · June 22, 2013

This row of Skagit Valley Gold potatoes was taken near Woodinville, WA. a couple of days ago. With a inch of rain and low temps above 50 finally....they are looking even better today. I plan to make crosses since this diploid is not near any other diploid and I will have to make a 130 mile trip to get pollen from my Magic Dragons to make some crosses...but at least I won't have to emasculate the anthers to make the hybrids nor even mark the flowers crossed.

Below is a snapshot of a section of a 300 ft row of different sibs of Magic Dragons, however a blue flowered section. Skagit Valley Gold is a grandparent of M.D.

A bit later in the season I hope to use the population I call Smaug's Dragon which has Skagit Valley Gold as a great great grandparent. Below is a well conditioned TPS seedling of Smaug's Dragon yet to be transplanted to the field

**Tom Wagner** · July 12, 2013

Eating potatoes when one is a potato breeder is akin to nothing else in this world...almost! Great flavor in this diploid phureja background clone.

But one of my favorite potato varieties for eating is Skagit Valley Gold
Here is a picture of the little ones I am saving from eating ...I will send these to a few select places in the south for replanting next month. Dug these a couple of days ago in my volunteer plot.

**Tom Wagner** · September 29, 2013

Thanks, your results duplicate fairly accurately what I achieved from those lines as well. I processed a bushel of potato berries from last years seedlings of Skagit Plenty that were planted as tuber lines this season. That bushel of berries translated to about a quarter million TPS (true potato seed) after I processed the extraction.

I am in direct negotiations with greenhouse producers in two states to grow many thousands of plugs for either transplanting to the field, mature out in the trays for mini tubers, or for a test marketing of six pack sales of TPS seedlings. The F-3 Skagit Plenties show surprisingly good vigor in all of the seedlings with nary a weak plant anywhere. The F-3 tubers were harvested by my cooperator on this deal, however, no berries were kept unfortunately.

I am going to display my Skagit Valley Gold potatoes and probably the Skagit Plenty tubers as well........ tomorrow at the Herb Farm Restaurant as one of five local vendors treated to a five course dinner with a tasting of many of my tomatoes catering to what I believe will be investors dining at the restaurant.

Some of you may not know this about the restaurant where I am displaying my wares:

Quote:

I had heard news of The Herbfarm for years. Many say is the best restaurant in the United States and “the ultimate expression of the Northwest’s bounty.” National Geographic declares it “The #1 destination restaurant in the world.”

I will be displaying for taste sample my newest tomato lines....Brady Bunch and Blue Dawg!

Mind you...I have never dined at the Herbfarm...the dinners are around $200 per person, so as an invited guest and vendor....I shouldn't complain. Should I tip?

The tasting event will last for an hour or more and the dinner lasts from 7 til 11:30. As I understand it they are making a tomato juice medley of many of my 140 varieties of tomatoes grown at the local organic farm that caters to the restaurant.

They have served Skagit Valley Gold potatoes at the restaurant for the last three years.

Fusion_power · September 29, 2013

Tom, carry $20 for a tip, the waiter(s) will appreciate it. Be prepared to talk, you will be hoarse for 3 days. Carry samples of anything you think is interesting, including several packages of seed you can pass out as freebies. Be sure the packages have contact information! Don't hesitate to pass out business cards. If you don't have business cards, either get some made up tomorrow or make up some tear off sheets with your name, website, phone number, etc. Some guests will take a pack of seed, others would be better to have a business card.

This is a wonderful opportunity to get some front row exposure for your breeding work!

July 18, 2012	#3
Medbury Gardens Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Medbury, New Zealand Posts: 1,881	I can only imagine the facial expressions when you tell folks that Tom. Sounds like a nice spud,might have to buy some TPS of it from you i think. __________________ Richard

July 18, 2012	#5
meadowyck Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: Brooksville, FL Posts: 1,001	Tom so when is your first cross of tater x mater going to happen.....LOL As with your others this one is very interesting. Since I have limited space, I'm going to be trying a few taters above ground ben to see how they would do. I'll report back on that project at a later time. __________________ Jan “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” -Theodore Roosevelt

July 18, 2012	#6
wmontanez Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: MA Posts: 776	This is one of the best potato I've tasted. Tom has many good lines but this one is my favorite so far. One day I hope to see it in catalogs worldwide. __________________ Wendy

July 12, 2012	#1
Tom Wagner Crosstalk™ Forum Moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: 8407 18th Ave West 7-203 Everett, Washington 98204 Posts: 1,157	SKAGIT VALLEY GOLD -potato variety SKAGIT VALLEY GOLD This year...2012...represents the tenth year I have been growing this variety. I make reference to it often and I thought maybe it should have a thread all of its own. It is a diploid potato...deriving from Solanum phureja for the most part and represents one of the best yellow/orange fleshed potato varieties outside of Peru. It has been five years since I last grew nuclear generation certified seed potatoes of it, but it still remains vigorous without being laden down with virus like so many other varieties would be. The picture of it growing in one of my cooperator's gardens is proof positive that it is resistant to the major viruses that plague almost all other varieties. I like it because it has great flavor and has nearly 16 times the carotenoids of yellow fleshed varieties like Yukon Gold. It cooks much faster than other varieties and it should be in markets everywhere...except I am not a businessman. I lament the fact that I could not sustain the certification of the variety by myself...way too expensive to maintain. I do offer TPS of it on my website...most of my regular readers know that site. It has been increasingly been available in complicated progenies as well. This topic is a place holder and I will likely put a sticky on it as well. I am hoping readers will come to this forum to learn about this variety and that many posts will be forthcoming. Thanks in advance for any input. Tom Wagner (Potato Breeder)

May 7, 2013	#7
Tom Wagner Crosstalk™ Forum Moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: 8407 18th Ave West 7-203 Everett, Washington 98204 Posts: 1,157	Two years in a row I have planted some SKAGIT VALLEY GOLD potatoes within minutes of digging them. The potatoes were planted May 2011 and dug one year later May 2012. These same potatoes were dug today and planted May 6, 2013. The idea I am presenting is to prove that potatoes don't have to be stored out of the ground. I dug around 100 pounds of SKAGIT VALLEY GOLD here in Skagit County, Washington. I lifted the tubers out of the weeds...dandelions, clover, etc. and broke the apical sprout off as I dug. I wanted no sprouts left on and by removing the one main sprout the rest of the eyes will wake up and grow lots of sprouts making for multiple stems. I spaced the tubers uncut about 10 inches apart in 40 some inch rows. The photos.... I dropped some organic fertilizer and nutrients in the row befor covering the 330 ft. of row. Based on past yield data...this row below should yield about 1,000 lbs. of some of the best tasting potatoes anywhere.

May 10, 2013	#8
wingnut Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: bald hill area thurston county washington Posts: 312	An EXCELLENT potato, I always seem to eat them up first......

May 11, 2013	#9
Catherine+two Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: New Mexico Posts: 17	Um, based on missed potatoes and garlic cloves, I figured out some years ago that I could re-plant as soon as I harvested. I also plant peas, lettuce, parsnip, and carrot seeds as I clean up the garden in the fall, as those are the plants that self-seed like crazy. It makes the spring planting season much calmer. Oh, I live in a dry climate, so seeds rotting before they sprout is unlikely. Catherine

May 17, 2013	#10
mc568 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: Washington Posts: 2	This sounds really good so I went to search for seed potatoes but I didn't find any. Does anyone sell this type or is it just something that you sell locally or just an experimental potato?

June 22, 2013	#12
Tom Wagner Crosstalk™ Forum Moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: 8407 18th Ave West 7-203 Everett, Washington 98204 Posts: 1,157	This row of Skagit Valley Gold potatoes was taken near Woodinville, WA. a couple of days ago. With a inch of rain and low temps above 50 finally....they are looking even better today. I plan to make crosses since this diploid is not near any other diploid and I will have to make a 130 mile trip to get pollen from my Magic Dragons to make some crosses...but at least I won't have to emasculate the anthers to make the hybrids nor even mark the flowers crossed. Below is a snapshot of a section of a 300 ft row of different sibs of Magic Dragons, however a blue flowered section. Skagit Valley Gold is a grandparent of M.D. A bit later in the season I hope to use the population I call Smaug's Dragon which has Skagit Valley Gold as a great great grandparent. Below is a well conditioned TPS seedling of Smaug's Dragon yet to be transplanted to the field

July 12, 2013	#13
Tom Wagner Crosstalk™ Forum Moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: 8407 18th Ave West 7-203 Everett, Washington 98204 Posts: 1,157	Eating potatoes when one is a potato breeder is akin to nothing else in this world...almost! Great flavor in this diploid phureja background clone. But one of my favorite potato varieties for eating is Skagit Valley Gold Here is a picture of the little ones I am saving from eating ...I will send these to a few select places in the south for replanting next month. Dug these a couple of days ago in my volunteer plot.

September 29, 2013	#15
Fusion_power Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,250	Tom, carry $20 for a tip, the waiter(s) will appreciate it. Be prepared to talk, you will be hoarse for 3 days. Carry samples of anything you think is interesting, including several packages of seed you can pass out as freebies. Be sure the packages have contact information! Don't hesitate to pass out business cards. If you don't have business cards, either get some made up tomorrow or make up some tear off sheets with your name, website, phone number, etc. Some guests will take a pack of seed, others would be better to have a business card. This is a wonderful opportunity to get some front row exposure for your breeding work!