October tps Hot Dog x Red Emmalie

[jayb]

One of the few crosses I made this year, with a goal of long red waxy fingerling type potatoes. Freshly harvested seeds were put to chit on damp kitchen paper in August. Initially no germination but by the second week of October 2 seedlings have emerged and several more seeds are either with root showing or root and stem but still inside their helmet. I've potted them on into individual modules which I'll pop in the greenhouse by day and into the house for nights.

I've no idea how they will do or even if they will grow for very long, the season is very much against them.

[Galina]

Was there a reason why they took so long before emerging? Was the seed not fully dried? Certainly a lesson in being patient. And not giving up on a pot that apparently hasn't germinated.

[Galina]

According to Cornell University, potatoes need 6 hours of direct sun per day.
http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/hom...scenec6be.html

Good luck growing them in the darker months.

[jayb]

It may just have been that the seed were freshly harvested or that the berry wasn't very ripe when processed, or I perhaps didn't ferment them long enough, or they still had enough inhibitor to prevent them germinating straight away.

[jayb]

Ssshh, not too loud, they may not know they need 6 hrs of direct sun

They are two months behind the other seedlings I'm growing, perhaps they will be in time to be planted out in the spring!

[Galina]

Now there's a thought

[jayb]

Slow progress, but looking a little stronger

[jayb]

Better germination with the spring sown seed, which I've just been harvesting the mini tubers from, I'm pleased with the range of types, there should be a few to take forward

[Galina]

That;s a great combination and a lot of different mini types. I notice you have written numbers on some of them. Not many yellows in this batch and you got some with red inside too and the long form. Did you grow these in pots or in the open ground. Some fine looking types from the spring sown seeds. Bet you are pleased and hope they turn out blight resistant.

[jayb]

These were all in open ground and ran the gauntlet of sheep and LB! The ones with numbers are the ones I couldn't fit into one square and I'd run out of spare containers to pop them in.

Yes just four whites, all a nice length, and about 3 peach types, but they were lower harvesting and not a particularly good shape.

I don't think there will be much LB resistance but it's likely the better cropping plants are earlier types with slightly better tuber resistance.

I'm really chuffed with some of the long fingerling types, some look like they could be just what I'm aiming for