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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jul 26, 2011 17:12:14 GMT -5
The blue skinned potatoes with white flesh are just starting to blossom. Should be tiny tubers starting to form. They are not a very vigorous plant compared to many of the other kinds I am growing. I hope to post a follow up in about six weeks.
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1066
gopher
Posts: 38
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Post by 1066 on Jul 27, 2011 3:25:51 GMT -5
Thanks Joseph, TPS are amazing and fascinating. Looking forward to the update
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Aug 4, 2011 1:39:56 GMT -5
One of my neighbors commented to me today at the farmer's market that his heirloom potatoes have lots of berries on them. I told him that I was thrilled to hear about it and hope that he'd save some of the berries for me this fall. He is very agreeable to that.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Aug 29, 2011 11:38:51 GMT -5
I'm starting to harvest potato berries. These are part of the berries from 3 plants (cloned). I also collected a few tubers so that I don't have to keep records until after they have been fermented, cleaned, and put into a seed packet. I have a different clone with more berries than this on it. I expect to collect those berries in a few weeks.  |
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Post by mnjrutherford on Sept 1, 2011 5:56:12 GMT -5
Those berries are amazing! I can't get over how huge they are. I like the look of the taters too! ;o)
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Post by oxbowfarm on Sept 2, 2011 5:21:30 GMT -5
Joseph, can you explain or direct me to more info about the beer soaking to break dormancy? I am always looking for creative uses for beer.  Must be hard to come by in Utah. |
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Sept 2, 2011 9:33:43 GMT -5
A research paper reported that placing potato micro-tubers on a growth medium with 0.5% ethanol resulted in 100% sprouting within 3-6 days. They made a fresh cut on the stem end so that the tuber could readily absorb the test chemicals. jxb.oxfordjournals.org/content/56/419/2515.full Ethanol breaks dormancy of the potato tuber apical bud Margo M. J. Claassens, John Verhees, Linus H. W. van der Plas, Alexander R. van der Krol, Dick Vreugdenhil Also see: www.google.com/search?q=alcohol+potato+dormancySoaking in beer overnight was my attempt to mimic a study that I hadn't read. The tubers never did sprout for me. If I had it to do over again, I'd try something like: cut the tubers, put a small layer of beer in a plastic container with a lid, and tumble the potatoes once or twice a day until they sprouted. I might even dilute the beer 5X. The state has already diluted it by half, so that aughta get me to around 0.5%. Not to worry though... If I want full strength beer there is town nearby, just across the border. |
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Post by mnjrutherford on Sept 3, 2011 6:22:52 GMT -5
Soaking in beer overnight was my attempt to mimic a study that I hadn't read. The tubers never did sprout for me. Thank goodness I didn't take a swallow of coffee as I read this. My monitor would have been ruined.  If I had it to do over again, I'd try something like: cut the tubers, put a small layer of beer in a plastic container with a lid, and tumble the potatoes once or twice a day until they sprouted. I might even dilute the beer 5X. The state has already diluted it by half, so that aughta get me to around 0.5%. Not to worry though... If I want full strength beer there is town nearby, just across the border. I'm thinking that "tumbling" would be counter productive. I think I would go with a spray bottle. My thought here is that the tumbling process would inhibit sprouting. I can see where a small seed, peanut, tomato, corn, etc. could be tumbled around in a solution prior to planting. But a "piece" of a potato might be different? I like the theory. I'm also wondering about how effective and available might beer be? Would it be worth making a homebrew version to mimic what would be available under adverse socio/political conditions. Is it the ethanol that is supposed to bring out the desired effect or the nutrients? |
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Sept 3, 2011 8:58:37 GMT -5
A spray bottle sounds nice...
The study investigated many chemicals. All of the potatoes were placed on a bed of nutrients. Ethanol broke the dormancy... My theory is because it is a chemical produced by a potato fermenting, and so the sprout starts sprouting so that it will have a chance to grow before the whole thing rots away.
They only needed a tiny bit of ethanol. A little sugar in some water with a pinch of yeast would be plenty. I worry about the other chemicals in beer. Vodka is currently the easiest to obtain nearly pure ethanol.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Sept 12, 2011 23:29:31 GMT -5
This was my most abundantly fruitful potato this year. The photo is of one plant. I grew three clones so I have a lot of seeds!!! It was grown from TPS last summer. I named this variety "Bountiful", in honor of a renowned place in our local mythology, and of course as a tribute to the generosity of the plant in producing berries. That is a pint basket that is filled to overflowing with berries. The tubers have wire-worm damage so I'm not thrilled about that.  This was the second most fruitful potato this year. (I'm treating clones as the same plant.) The photo likewise shows the fruit and tubers of one plant. I already harvested some tubers and fruits from it and posted a photo. It was grown from TPS last year. I am thrilled with it because it produced lots and lots of small potatoes! They are not damaged much at all by wire-worms or by scab. Wee Ha!!!! I call this Ella's Potato in honor of the fine lady that invited me to offer seeds from it last year for the hoggy seed swap. I'm excited about so many small tubers. People really like seeing them at market. It's really hard to find enough tiny potatoes to satisfy demand. I've saved enough tubers to plant hundreds of feet of row. This potato has a multitude of small roots, vast numbers of them.... It's like pulling someone's lost wig out of the dirt.  There are only 3 potatoes from last year's TPS that did much in the garden this year. I hope to upload a photo of the other plant soon. A few of them might have produced some seeds, and dropped them on the ground. I'm throwing any seeds I collect from the ground into a piker's landrace. |
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Post by nuts on Dec 7, 2011 17:31:25 GMT -5
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Post by keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.) on May 14, 2012 16:37:01 GMT -5
Thought all you potato breeders might be interested to know that Rebsie Fairholm's potato breeding book appears to be coming out soon. It might already be out, but i'm not sure. Hopefully once she's done with her new book she will have enough free time to start posting on her blog again.  COMING EARLY 2012 HORTICULTURE GARDEN ALCHEMY: THE LOST ART OF POTATO BREEDING Rebsie Fairholm Ever wondered why supermarket potatoes are so bland and boring? In the Andes, where potatoes originate, there are thousands of varieties with bright colours, beautiful markings, unusual shapes and variations of flavour and cooking quality. In the modern world, industrialised monoculture has reduced all this diversity down to a handful of near identical varieties. However, it's incredibly easy to grow potatoes from seed, and every seed is full of unexplored diversity. Best known for her Daughter of the Soil blog, Rebsie Fairholm gives clear and practical instructions for how to make seeds from potato berries, how to cross different varieties, how to choose which ones to experiment with, and how to keep your newly created varieties growing into the future. She gives examples from her own experiences with all kinds of potatoes, from ordinary garden varieties to historic Scottish heirlooms and rare Andean landraces, and explores the different colour possibilities, from orange flesh to purple flesh. Our ancestors created their own vegetable varieties in their gardens and took it for granted as a completely normal thing to do; and then the commercial age came along and changed our habits, and so it became something of a lost art. This unique book is a small step towards changing that. ISBN: 978-1-908011-19-0 www.skylightpress.co.uk/www.angelfire.com/az/garethknight/skylight/horticulture.html |
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Post by oxbowfarm on May 16, 2012 20:11:29 GMT -5
Planted out the first of my Joseph's Bountiful potato seedlings today. They were about 5 inches tall coming out of the plug flat, there are 14 more that are still too tiny and can get "hilled" in the flat some more, plus some of tatermaters Negate and Chaposa which are not yet ready. Supposed to get down to 36 tonight but the soil is warm and I stuffed some rowcover over them in the furrow.  |
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Post by tatermater on May 20, 2012 2:59:10 GMT -5
GARDEN ALCHEMY: THE LOST ART OF POTATO BREEDING
I did an Amazon search for the book and it said more information coming May 31. Glad to see someone beating me to writing something about TPS. I don't know beans about writing a book but maybe Rebsie's book will give me some ideas. I will have to buy it at any cost.
Rebsie has not been on my potato forum for over a year now and I lost track of her. But then again, I can't keep track of myself...too much going on.
I hope my work is mentioned in her book.
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Post by circumspice on May 20, 2012 14:25:34 GMT -5
Vodka is currently the easiest to obtain nearly pure ethanol. Joseph, you haven't tried Everclear??? It's 190 proof & odorless. I use it in perfume making. |
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Must be hard to come by in Utah.
