TPS yield

[Rugerfan777]

Just a question, I know Tom says he can get yeilds close to seed potatoes, but is it possible for reg folk like you and me to get that result too? I am hoping to try, but I am such a noob at potato growing I am not sure if it can be done by non potato experts?

[wingnut]

I have some I started early, they are nice sized plants. I am looking for tubers to plant next year, but hope for good size/yield from TPS.

[Tom Wagner]

TPS yeild

Just a question, I know Tom says he can get yeilds close to seed potatoes, but is it possible for reg folk like you and me to get that result too? I am hoping to try, but I am such a noob at potato growing I am not sure if it can be done by non potato experts?

You might be right! My two different webmasters have been after me to write up the definitive "HOW TO" book or addendum on TPS. The newworldcrops.com is down for the summer but the tomwagnerseedscom. is still open for business. We get customer service inquiry comments for advice on TPS.

I've had a bum knee keeping me out of the field for the last two days......yes, it was from digging potatoes Saturday.

I do think that i could write a pretty good chapter or book helping folks along to do quite wellw ith TPS

[TZ-OH6]

The best of my TPS plants produced slightly under what the parent did per plant. And I am not a good potato grower so the parent production was not that great. But there is a lot of variation in sprouts and seedlings. I get a few strong plants and more middling plants of the ones I actually save to pot up and put out. It's much different for me than with tomatoes where you get seedling uniformity even between varieties. I usually eat one tuber per hill and save the rest for seed tubers the next year unless the TPS plant produced sub standard tubers (unwanted colors, size, production).

[Rugerfan777]

Thanks Tom for replying. I am trying to read everything you post about TPS. You have so much information and experience on it, it seems truly hard to master for beginners like me. I am going to try, so the more information the better.

[Rugerfan777]

How hot is too hot to grow potatoes? 80's? 90's?

[joseph]

This is what my first year seedlings produce like: One basket equals the offspring of one seed.



The second year tubers can be extremely erratic in production, producing anything from less than what went into the ground, to an abundant harvest. Here are photos of what two plants produced the second year. They are the red potatoes in the top two rows.





In my garden, a tuber that is planted in the early spring gets about an 8 week longer growing season than seedlings planted after all danger of frost. I attribute the higher production of tubers in the second year to the longer growing season.

[Rugerfan777]

Interesting. How hot and how much sun do you get in Utah. Also what is the soil like there?

[Fusion_power]

Rugerfan, I was in Crescent City August of 2012. It is a beautiful place to visit.

I am in a borderline climate for TPS. I started 10 trays of seedlings back in January and planted out in mid March. The plants are just starting to set tubers, but it is so hot now that they will not produce much. I will save the tubers for next year to see if they can do a better job. I live in North West Alabama.

DarJones

[joseph]

Originally Posted by Rugerfan777

Interesting. How hot and how much sun do you get in Utah. Also what is the soil like there?

My garden is at high altitude in the desert mountains. So i get brilliant sunlight most any summer day. My fields are flat without shade. During the summer night-time temperatures are around 50 F. Daytime temperatures around 90 F. My soil is clay to clay-silt, depending on the field and the location in the field, and derived from limestone: perfect for creating scabby potatoes.