Athlete, second early.

[jayb]

A recent introduction, I think in time for the London Olympics. Athlete has reported good resistance to Blackleg and Late Blight on both leaves and Tubers.
My first year growing these and so far they look to be doing very well, nice healthy and stocky plants. They have lovely pale to medium violet-purple flowers with white tips to the petals. I'm looking forward to tasting these, happily I'm unable to note any disease resistance so far.

[Galina]

They are indeed very blight resistant. My plant has just withered and I have dug the tubers. A nice lot of perfect yellow mid sized to large potatoes. This is indeed a very nice potato. Hope the flavour lives up to the rest. Will definitely grow again!

[Galina]

"Slightly earthy, nutty, salad potato" - yep we have definite approval to grow again

[jayb]

Brilliant, so glad you had good results too. I'm not sure how long they will remain resistant but proved good resistance this year here. I've yet to harvest mine but I'll be putting some to one side for planting next year.

[Galina]

The Athlete berries: two full sized ones with slight purple mottle, now soft and ready to extract seeds. On the right a blighted berry half sized and another non blighted berry also half sized. It is very surprising that the only blighted part of Athlete was one of the berries.

Do half sized berries yield viable seed?

[Galina]

Yes there were seeds in the half sized berry, not many but if that had been all I got, I'd still be well pleased. The full sized ones had more seeds, overall not as many as the berries in last year's Picasso tps, but plenty to start a huge tps seed bed and to share with a few people. The berries were very soft inside. So easy to extract the seeds and there is now a very strong fruity smell on my hands. Last year's Picasso did not have that strong smell and they were much firmer inside. Let's hope for germination when the time comes. And thank you for the original tuber.

[jayb]

You are welcome and I'm thrilled you got tps too
Have you sown them this season?

[jayb]

Good looking berries, they look larger than the ones I picked here. None of my berries were affected with LB, though I did lose quite a few in the strong winds.

Do half sized berries yield viable seed?

Usually yes, sometimes the seed number is reduced or seed size is small. If it's a variety not know for setting berries they might be fantom berries with no developed seed inside.

[Galina]

Oh, berries without seeds inside - well no issue wondering whether they will be viable then. Thanks for all this good info, Jayb.

[jayb]

I think it will be much more likely the small berry contains seed as they do seem to be a prolific setter

[jayb]

Also good baked and mashed, they have a lovely buttery taste.

Harvest from one potato, I noticed some scab damage on some tubers. No slug damage or Late Blight tuber damage although it was present at the plot and haulms were not cut on Athlete or any of the other Late Blight resistant varieties. They just keeps ticking boxes