Potatoes from TPS

[delito8]

I have to ask this... I had my seedlings in quite small pots and now when I found those small tubers, I re-potted them to small buckets (6-8L).
Are those tubers going to grow bigger now when they have more space?
Are they usually normal sized or smaller? Do they need more space later? How I'll know they are ready?
And most important thing, how I'll be able to save those tubers to next spring without a cellar? In fridge somehow, in a box with peat or something like that?

A lot of questions, sorry!
This is just first time for me with TPS and I have no idea what I should do, so please help!

[wmontanez]

My second season with TPS so not an expert here
Read http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=13927&page=2 and tatermater. p r o b o a r d s.com the thread called TPS in Bermuda (I does not let me link it for some reason put stars) I talk about what I did on those TPS selfed
They grow bigger but not as big as the 2nd year...I will tell you more in the fall
The dormancy will be 3 mo. for the short ones and near 5-7mo. for the rest. I do not have a root celllar so they were stored tat 45F in my basement until Feb/March that I moved them because some were sprouting. Unless they shrivel and go soft then they should be fine.

I recommend that you plant as deep as you can and the pot with at least 3/4 or 1 cubic feet of soil if my converter is accurate is 21-28 L.
Harvest when the plant totally die down. That way is the biggest taters and best to store over the winter. I will love to see how they continue growing in Finland, hopefully you both find a long storing/short season blue potato for your environment. I have more of Tom's Sampler I hope they cross and produce more interesting potatoes so far there is one that is catching my eye.. Amey X ...red stem and green leaves no idea what it will produce!

[delito8]

Thanks for advice again!
I too hope to find something superb from these, but just growing these is an intresting experience also. At least the colors I found look pretty

[GunnarSK]

This year I'm growing potatoes both from seed potatoes and TPS. Hope I'll get TPS from my seed potatoes, but it's also an experiment for me.
BTW, I've been able to link to Tom's site, but I had to embed the link in text. Apparently the link doesn't work for me either, which may be peculiar for TV, but you can always use Wendy's method or enter "Tom Wagner" and "potato" or "tatermater" in a Google search.

[TZ-OH6]

"how I'll be able to save those tubers to next spring without a cellar? In fridge somehow, in a box with peat or something like that?"



I had some egg sized tubers sitting out in the open at room temperature from fall harvest until I planted them last week. I never got around to tossing them. the rest of my seed tubers were in paper bags at room temp all winter and most of the spring, so although cool storage is better ther is some flecibility. the little mini tubers will dry out though. I had some sitting out loosely wrapped in plastic wrap last summer and they were OK until they started sprouting 3 months later, when I tossed them, so for minitubers (marble sized) stored for a long time I would try for a cool place and protect them from water loss.


You could also plant them in a pot in a few months and grow a new set of tubers this fall/winter for next spring.

[cortona]

thanks to Wendy me too i'm growing potatoes from tps, after some mistake now i've tranferred the plantlets in bigger pots and it are growing like crazy, i've do some photos the past week end but i've looked at it today and it are almost dubled... aniway this is the last week photos
http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/m...nafoto/014.jpg
http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/m...nafoto/014.jpg
i'm not sure how to and wen plant it outside but i've prepared a bed with fertile sandy soil near home were i can put it a part of it, let see wath hapens at the net transplant.
aniway thanks Wendy thanks a lot!

[Farmette]

Mine are growing like crazy too, but are taller and not as full. I guess I need to start hardening them off?

[svalli]

I transplanted my TPS plants to the final pots today. The one with the stolons had already a red skinned tuber forming on it. The other big one with dark stem did not have any trubers visible, but it had good roots. The other plants are much smaller, so these two look to be promising being early enough to be grown this far north.


Sari

[wmontanez]

Cortona, you are welcome! I am glad you had some plants surviving and growing happily in Italy.


Sari, those are big plants too. I think the blue stem is going to be blue flesh/blue skin. I have 2 that are storing well, one has better flavor than the other but will know for sure this fall.

Farmette,

I started to harden them off. Mine are growing quickly...here's a pic

[wmontanez]

For those of you growing my TPS OP. I transplanted some seedlings I sowed at the end of March growing in a small container and saw the segregation. Mostly blue and few red skin, none white but one bicolor cream with pinkish. Here is a sneak preview.



I planted the F2 segregation from the selfed blue seedling tubers finally in a box container. Planted F2 on 6/5 bit late with some other tubers to get later crop...since I need to stagger plantings. One of the blue stored very well. I planted 2 seeds. I hope that is "early" so it can work for you guys in Finland and Poland. I will keep track of days of flowering and went it start to die down for you.

[svalli]

Here is how the TPS plants look now. The dark stemmed one has buds on it.
TPS potatoesi 201100709.jpg