How a Potato Plant Grows

[Boutique Tomatoes]

Originally Posted by Durgan

To what purpose? Can we expect a new improved potato, whatever that means?

Wingnut curates a large collection of potato varieties including a number of landrace types. He offers them breeders and growers interested in more diversity than is found in commercial varieties.

The picture below are the varieties he sent me last week, a number of them are Tom Wagner's lines that I was interested in such as Black Irish and Azul Toro, there are several numbered accessions from the USDA collection and some of the landrace/diploid types that have been mentioned in this thread.

I can't speak to his motivation, but mine are twofold. I hope to find some boutique types that will be of interest to local chefs and provide a high value specialty crop that they simply can't get elsewhere. I also want to do some educational work regarding the diversity in the potato family, few people are aware of the thousands of varieties actually out there. Having actual examples that they can see, touch and even taste will help to make it more interesting.