November 2, 2017

Good morning, funny how with potatoes they had to give them another name for their embryonic plants enclosed in a protective outer covering because seed potatoes was already taken. Seed potatoes are genetic clones and are either small potatoes that are planted or larger spuds that are cut up and planted. These produce an exact copy of the parent.

Where as TPS otherwise known as True Potato Seed is the result of two different parents joined together to produce offspring. Like anytime there is the bonding of two individuals, the offspring will exhibit characteristics of both parents but truly a separate individual. There is no way to see this in the seed form. It needs to be grown to maturity.

The results from these parings may be a cull or it may be the next best thing to sliced bread.

What I have read is that it takes two years to get a full sized potato from TPS. 

Culture at the start is very similar to growing tomatoes but then as the potato plant grows there is the need to"hill" the plant with soil. Only in this case it would be slowly back filling a plant container as the tiny potato plant grows. Readings depict these are tiny plants unlike the spud plants that grow from seed potatoes.

Like with full sized potatoes the reason for "hilling" is to force more roots along the stem as it grows. Like with "adult" potatoes, tubers are formed from the "seed" upwards. So with more "hilling" one can expect more tubers. I suspect that once this young plant dies then the tubers can be collected to be planted to make full sized potatoes.

For those folks with patience and once the "adult " harvest is complete the edible qualities can be evaluated. Careful not to sample all of the mature tubers so in case you have a "keeper" you can continue this new variety of potato. There may be similar varieties to your spud around but this one is an individual and thus if you desire you  can name it.

Because it was grown from seed there is the potential that this potato is well adapted to our Far West Texas climate and can possibly thrive like no other potato..

I have cleaned and dried a lot of the seeds from my potato berries. With any luck I can grow some of these seeds to mature spuds. 

Patience is a virtue.

Summer veggies are done. Last year due to the mild winter spring planting started very early.In normal years the the first Toms go in the ground the middle of February of the spring veggies with the remainder  save for the okra and sweets go into the garden the first of March with the okra sweets the middle of April. February is just around the corner. In the mean time winter greens are starting to come on. 

This week I harvested chard, kale, green onions, carrots, and turnips. In storage sweet potatoes, onions and butternuts. Please email as to availability.