Growing potatoes from True Potato Seeds - TPS

[jayb]

I'm growing a selection of TPS this year from seed and some from saved mini tubers from last season.
From TPS sown 24th March

Palest Pink Eye (mother clone has been very LB resistant over the last 3 years)
Palest Pink Eye x Sarpo Mira
Violetta, open pollinated
Sarpo Mira, open pollinated
Kifli x Pink Fir Apple
Black Bog, open pollinated
Bolivian Yellow Hesh, open pollinated
Kifli x Ratte

Mixes
Huagalina, Landraces, Suytu Vilguince, Cocoon Khuchi, Khuchi Koochi and Khuchi Coo. Looking for a real mix of traits and possibly some more unusual ones.

Skagit Valley Gold, P1225694 x Sagit Valley Gold, Squat Orange Plus and Thunder Row. Searching for any with deep yellow to light orange flesh colours, double fingers crossed!These are diploid.

These are Sarpo Mira seed saved 2011, germination looks to be pretty good, pictures taken yesterday 31st March.

TPS Sarpo Mira by jayb 35, on Flickr

TPS Sarpo Mira by jayb 35, on Flickr

[Silverleaf]

Lovely! Some of mine are just starting to show tiny true leaves. It's very exciting.

[jayb]

Thoroughly agree very exciting and they are just brilliant. It's just amazing how quickly they grow, so small and fragile when they first germinate and then be able to go on and produce a crop in a season!

[jayb]

Sarpo Mira TPS progress picture taken today 4th April. True leaves are just starting to show on some and a few still germinating.

Sarpo Mira TPS by jayb 35, on Flickr

[jayb]

The two mixes I made up are a little slower germinating and uneven. Perhaps it's the different varieties, hoping they get a move on and start popping through very soon.

[jayb]

These need potting on, picture taken on 8/4

Sarpo Mira TPS by jayb 35, on Flickr

[Galina]

I haven't even started on my tps yet. But I like to grow them to mini tubers in their first year in the greenhouse and there is plenty of time when the space needed by tomatoes and peppers becomes available after they are planted out. Good to see your seedlings

[jayb]

My Violetta are taking for ever to come up, disappointing

[Silverleaf]

Mine took forever too, but I have about 12 little seedlings now, don't give up!

[jayb]

Will do, though I might try some TSP on the remaining seed and see if they germinated better after being treated.
Glad you have some little ones now.

[jayb]

Another 4 days growing and still not potted on! Amazing how quickly they grow. Some of the leaves are starting to look a little yellow, not much fertilizer in the multi purpose me thinks.

Sarpo Mira TPS progress by jayb 35, on Flickr

[Jang]

I'm just embarking on germinating some tps for the first time. It's a selection from the site Triffid mentioned in the pea support thread. I was really delighted to discover the first signs of life today and I'm very intrigued and excited by the whole prospect of seeing them through to potato production.

One thing I'm wondering is how tender the tiny seedlings are. Will they be OK in the greenhouse now as long as I keep them frost free?

[jayb]

Love seeing them germinate, so amazing something so small can produce so much in a season. Do you have an idea about what to expect from the selection?

[Jang]

Yes, I’m finding it very exciting. They came from a German seed company, https://www.dreschflegel-shop.de/wur...toffel-saatgut
They have an illustration but goodness knows whether it’s a real indication of results. I’ve only grown very standard varieties before and never even eaten an interestingly coloured potato, so looking forward to widening horizons.
Their photo below in fresh reply

[jayb]

Good luck, tps are so obliging, I'm sure you will find treasures.
Yes, not much detail as to what on their site but that's part of the fun too.

[Galina]

I would give them longer indoors, but frost free greenhouse is good for when they are potted on. The plants are a little smaller with narrower stems than tomatoes, but fairly wiry, so when it comes to transplanting they are not too difficult to handle. Congratulations on germinating them. There are so many 'rules' how to get them to germinate, that I have always been surprised mine just behaved like tomatoes, nothing special needed. Let the fun begin.

[Jang]

I was grateful for the link which I think you posted to a site which gave detailed feedback on the success rate for different methods. Before that I had read that they need darkness but that report suggested they're dependent upon light! So on reading it I took mine off the warming tray, took the light shield off and put the pot in a plastic bag for humidity. I have no idea which phase did the trick but the results are very pleasing so far.

By later in the day the tiny seedlings were elongating rather quickly which is why I wondered whether the best possible light is particularly important. But thank you, I'll leave them underway rather basic lights and hope they continue well.

[Jang]

Not very clear photo for TPS from Dreschflegel website

[Jang]

Jayb, I’m not at all sure what you’re apologising for.

I’ve only been aware of positive comments and encouragement from you.

[jayb]

Thank you, I think it's me losing my perspective and overthinking thinking things today. I guess I'm feeling guilty for being at home and not doing anything to help out in this crisis and I feel crappy for enjoying the sunshine and being happy about small things and distractions when for so many it is a time of utter hardship and misery.

[Jang]

Thanks for your explanation. Yes, understood.

It feels impossible to keep a sense of perspective, to balance all that’s going on. I suppose the burgeoning of life all around us is particularly poignant at the moment, but still amazing.

[Jang]

My tps seedlings are doing well I think. They're of very variable size. I separated them into deepish modules three or four weeks ago, but it seems from what I've read that they should be buried rather deeper now.

I'm unsure what to move on to. I could plant them all in a deeper box and let them mingle but I'm not sure that I like that idea. I could pot the biggest ones into individual deep pots or perhaps two or three to a pot as all my deeper pots are quite big. Some people, I gather, plant them out when they're quite small but I feel I'd like to protect them for longer.

There also seems variation in whether to expect tuber formation in the first year or whether to regard it as a two year process. I'm expecting the latter but would be interested to hear of any other experiences.

Any advice, experience of this stage of growth gratefully received.

[jayb]

They are looking great!

What size modules are they in now? And what size are the pots you are planning on?

[Jang]

Thanks. Good to know they look as they should.
They're in deeper than usual modules, perhaps 3.5" or 4" tall, 40 to a tray. (Too tired to go and measure height!) The pots for transplanting could be almost any size but I was a thinking of something deeper than it's wide.

[Galina]

Looks to me that they can stay in those modules until you can plant them out in a couple of weeks. They look bonny JanG. Maybe plant the largest seedlings separate or a little further apart as they are likely to make the largest plants. I would plant those larger ones first. Spacing is slightly less than for early potatoes. Plenty of time to bury deeper on planting out.

I would not mix them into one large box, but plant separately. I found that tps plants like the larger ones in your photo are already developing micro potatoes. They are both a one year project and a two year project. What you will get this year are tubers which are greatly variable in size, earliness and yield. Good enough to taste and to select which you want to carry on with, but not the full harvest potential. Both tubers and the overall crop will be bigger the second year. This is then good for a final selection.

If you have them mingling, you will find it very difficult to select which ones are good and which to let go.

[Jang]

Thanks. That's very helpful.
I think I'll certainly take your advice and plant out the bigger ones quite soon. I'll perhaps grow on the smallest ones for a bit longer until I can begin to claim some space, from broad beans etc.
I wasn't really expecting to get much this year so this is very exciting!