2017 TPS tubers and seeds

[Rajun Gardener]

Last year I started on the TPS(true potato seed) train, I started them too late for my area but I did harvest a few mini tubers. I planted them a few weeks ago and they are loving the weather. I also started more TPS and they need to be transplanted in a few days.
Here's a few pics of the tubers from seed


Here they are today






TPS 2 weeks ago


Pics from today

[wmontanez]

Hi there Rajun Gardener. Growing from TPS is challenging and rewarding at the same time. At the end you will have unique potatoes. The seed train is going again this year. Did you sign up?

[Rajun Gardener]

Hey Wendy!

I didn't sign up, between buying and swapping I have more than I can grow. Tree leaves was generous with her seeds, I don't know how she grows so many varieties.

You've been quiet on KPP, I guess it's the weather.

[wmontanez]

Nothing to talk about in KPP since not growing potatoes yet. I started peppers indoors as I always do right after new year. The seedlings are very small.

I have lots of potatoes for seeds and TPS seeds as well from shared to gifts, trades etc. I donated some TPS for the train as well. Tree Leaves is very generous, she sent me a box of her tubers too. I think she liked playing bee that is how ended with so many TPS berries.

How are your 1st year tubers growing?

[Rajun Gardener]

The pics above are all Sarpo's, I have a few others that need to get planted soon. I also have tubers from Tree leaves and William that needs to be planted. I'm trying to figure out how I'll grow so many varieties and keep them separate. I also want to try some direct seeding but I'm not sure I'll get to that this year.

I've got tomatoes growing in the green house, here's a video and it has some TPS seedlings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuPLVq9U2Iw

[730dcm]

got a questions when do you plant your tps last year? i just dug up my potatoes as they have been dead for about a month and i never noticed but i got a berry . if i plant now will i got something to replant next year zone 6b? also will all the seeds from one berry produce the same plant or will each seed in that berry make something different? i would think same but i know it wont be the same as teh red pontiac plants it came off of.thanks

[NathanP]

Originally Posted by 730dcm

got a questions when do you plant your tps last year? i just dug up my potatoes as they have been dead for about a month and i never noticed but i got a berry . if i plant now will i got something to replant next year zone 6b? also will all the seeds from one berry produce the same plant or will each seed in that berry make something different? i would think same but i know it wont be the same as teh red pontiac plants it came off of.thanks

730dcm, if you are growing TPS in zone 6, you are best off starting them 2 months before your last average spring frost date. Wait to plant outside until they are about 10 weeks old (8-12 weeks depending on plant size), and long past your risk of frost.

TPS plants do best with a long growing season, so starting late in the year is not advisable unless you can get at least 90 days growing outside before your first fall frost. 150 days is ideal. Some short season ones will senesce rather quickly once planted outdoors. That is not anything to worry about, it just is a sign of it being an early variety. But you won't get an idea on tuber size until it is regrowin in the 2nd year from the tubers.

The seeds in a berry must be dried and germination inhibitors stripped off before you will get good germination. Usually this takes more than a year. If you dry it and save it, your germination of that seed in the next year will be lower than in subsequent years.

Unlike growing from tubers, where each tuber is a clone of the plant it is dug from, TPS seeds are each unique. Every plant will be different. Some more highly inbred lines may result in a higher chance of a seed being like the mother plant, but the chances of it being nearly identical are somewhere around 1 in a million.

If it is from Red Pontiac, TPS may have a high percentage of red skinned white fleshed potatoes. But that depends on if it was cross pollinated by a different potato as the pollen donor. If it is a cross, it may throw tubers of another skin color in the TPS.

[730dcm]

My seeds ended up growing German butterball or at least very very similar had minintubers this year I have like 10 berry on desire plants