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.

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?

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

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.

Medbury Gardens · July 12, 2013

They look lovely

samyaza · September 28, 2013

I received free seeds of a SVG x Donna Marie last year. Tom told me it's a back cross to SVG, because Donna Marie is a direct child of SVG.

They were sowed in 2012, replanted in 2013.

They're the most productive diploid I've seen so far. Size is very regular, with very few undersized tubers. They're everywhere, and a bit larger than a golf ball. Ready for harvest in early September. It covers the soil with pointed berries with two symmetric radial stripes turning from green to red. Original ! Typical diploid leaf shape. The leaves tend to turn to red or purple as on the photo when temps drop down or during drought.

Skagit Plenty gave me the largest tubers of all diploids ( for some clones ), but never as much in weight as SVG x DM. SVG x DM is 100% golden for me, where SP is white most of the time, with some clones with red eyes. I got a golden SP but it's not the rule. On the other hand, SP keeps as a good tetraploid ( most of the time ), where SVG x DM sprouts rapidly after harvest. In fact, SP behaves more as a tetraploid but with typical diploid foliage.

I'm afraid to let the tubers in soil during the winter. I'm in zone 7, but have experienced -20°C ( -4°F ) every winter between 2007 and 2011. At some times, frost penetrated the soil really deeply, particularly when there's no snow cover and it's long lasting. That would kill them for sure if it happened again.

What I did last year is storing them in a light, cold, frost-free place ( on a windowsill ) so the sprouts turn to leaves and stay like this for long.

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)

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	#4
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	#5
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, 2013	#14
Medbury Gardens Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Medbury, New Zealand Posts: 1,881	They look lovely __________________ Richard

May 7, 2013	#6
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	#7
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	#8
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	#9
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

September 28, 2013	#15
samyaza Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: North-East France Zone 7 Posts: 8	I received free seeds of a SVG x Donna Marie last year. Tom told me it's a back cross to SVG, because Donna Marie is a direct child of SVG. They were sowed in 2012, replanted in 2013. They're the most productive diploid I've seen so far. Size is very regular, with very few undersized tubers. They're everywhere, and a bit larger than a golf ball. Ready for harvest in early September. It covers the soil with pointed berries with two symmetric radial stripes turning from green to red. Original ! Typical diploid leaf shape. The leaves tend to turn to red or purple as on the photo when temps drop down or during drought. Skagit Plenty gave me the largest tubers of all diploids ( for some clones ), but never as much in weight as SVG x DM. SVG x DM is 100% golden for me, where SP is white most of the time, with some clones with red eyes. I got a golden SP but it's not the rule. On the other hand, SP keeps as a good tetraploid ( most of the time ), where SVG x DM sprouts rapidly after harvest. In fact, SP behaves more as a tetraploid but with typical diploid foliage. I'm afraid to let the tubers in soil during the winter. I'm in zone 7, but have experienced -20°C ( -4°F ) every winter between 2007 and 2011. At some times, frost penetrated the soil really deeply, particularly when there's no snow cover and it's long lasting. That would kill them for sure if it happened again. What I did last year is storing them in a light, cold, frost-free place ( on a windowsill ) so the sprouts turn to leaves and stay like this for long.