Potato Flowers 2020

[jayb]

The first of the bucket grown potatoes to flower this season even if it is shyly is Abbot. We have also had our first couple of meals of new tatties from them too- delish.

Abbot along with many early potatoes are not big into flowering I have had pods form in the past but it's not the norm.

[jayb]

Abbots (were I thought surprisingly closely) followed by Mayan Gold, not so shy at flowering.

In previous years Mayan Gold flower prolifically when grown on the plot readily set berries. It's lovely to see their bright flowers from these pot grown ones, but keeping them watered well is proving tricky.

[Hector1]

What an attractive potato bloom.

[jayb]

Thanks. I remember reading a post by Tom Wagner a few years back, along the lines of some of the more prolific flowering potato varieties are worthy of the ornamental garden and I think he's spot on. Admittedly more a wild type garden as potatoes are none too compact, but the flowers they can put out are amazing and for several months at a time, they are just lovely.

[triffid]

Beautiful! Are these the tub ones from March?

[jayb]

Yes they are.

[jayb]

A new variety for me this year Mayan Twilight, flower colour is very close to M. Gold and again is throwing lots of flowers despite being grown in a small bucket. I'm partly growing these this year because I adore coloured potatoes and also because I'm hoping some seed might set or to use the pollen to cross.



Edit to add; when I was moving the potato buckets around today I was surprised to notice a couple of small tubers peeking through the compost. They are forming earlier than I would have thought and will top the bucket up with compost to hopefully avoid green spuds tomorrow.

[Jang]

In the envy stakes, I definitely now have potato envy!
Having spent years growing very standard varieties I'm now looking forward to much more experimentation with different varieties. Next year as all planted up for this year! Just my baby tps plants for the time being.

[jayb]

Ooooh, think of it as a taste of what is to come. Just think of the excitement of what you have growing from your tps, you're going to be having a ball soon.

[jayb]

Charlotte, a real favourite here, not as early as Abbot but the tubers are already a new potato size to harvest from a march planting, although I'm sure the crop will be heavier left for a couple of weeks. But I couldn't resist and I have sneaked a few into the saucepan alongside Abbot.

Flowers are a lovely pale lilac fading to slightly off white with age. Charlotte flowers too when grown on the plot but very shy to set pods.

[Galina]

Definitely potato envy. We finished the last stored potatoes last week. My earlies are 5 inches tall at best, albeit growing nearly an inch a day at the moment. These flowers are just beautiful and so well photographed too. Enjoy the fine flavour of these.

[jayb]

Thank you. Wow your babies sound like they are really motoring now, they won't be far behind in the scheme of things. I'm finding it's lovely to enjoy these ones in tubs before the stress of Late blight arriving.

[jayb]

Mayan Gold (right) and Mayan Twilight (lower left) side by side.

[jayb]

Argos is a new to me variety, I believe a South American variety with tubers that are a striking two colours, Looks to have diploid type leaves.
This may or may not be an off type as I've labeled it as 2 (but not added off, so who knows!) I think it's a beauty whatever.

[Jang]

It certainly is a beauty.

When you said it was new to you do you mean that this is your first season growing it? I'm a bit confused as to where the off type/2 labelling comes from if totally new.

I'd also love to know how you identify diploid type leaves. More info, pretty please!

[jayb]

Sorry I wasn't clear, yes the first season I'm growing this variety.

A couple of varieties I bought this year had a few tubers that looked slightly out of place in comparison to the others, might just be nothing. I think they are not certified seed potato.

Diploid potatoes often have a narrower leaf, for example if you compare the first two pictures, of Abbot and Mayan Gold. Not always but it can be a good indication.

[Jang]

Sorry, I missed your reply till now.
Thanks for the clarification. And for the useful pointer to possible differences in leaf growth for diploids.

A whole world opens up!

[jayb]

More flowers, again a bucket grown one, Bonita ojo de Perdiz. The flowers are a nice size and such pretty shades. I have a few more of these growing out in the potato plot, fingers crossed they do well.

[Hector1]

Stunning looking potato. Had not heard of this variety before.

[Jang]

This is probably not unusual at all but I was struck by the size of the cluster of flowers on International Kidney yesterday

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