TPS 2022

[Richard Watson]

Haven't sown any TPS for a couple of years now but instead growing three good varieties from the last sowing.
Today I dug out a self sown TPS plant that had growing in the main garden where I dont grow spuds, this was sending out lots of runners and had purple stems and some in the leaf, you would think the tubers would have some degree of purple, no, totally white. But the strange part was all it grew was heaps of small finger nail size tubers, never seen a TPS plant do that before.

[bill]

The tubers are a possible indication that the plant is a short day tuberizer.  It is common to get lots of small tubers late in the season in short day plants.  Also possible that it just makes small tubers, which is the default in wild potatoes, after all.

As for the color, you likely have a plant that is homozygous recessive for the developer (D) gene.  It has at least one P (purple) allele, but the recessive dddd configuration prevents distribution of anthocyanin to the tubers.  Many white potatoes are quadruplex for d while few colored potatoes are quadruplex for D, and white potatoes are common, so there is usually plenty of pollen floating around ready to turn off the color in your seedlings.

[Richard Watson]

Thanks for explaining that Bill. I dont have much in the way of totally white tuber varieties, the only true white is a TPS from La ratte, everything else is either pink mixed with white or purple and white. Been a good summer for potatoes, the coolest for the 20+ years Ive been here, and very wet too, but strangely only small number of berries.

The other odd thing about that plant Bill was how short the stems were, dont know why I even let it grow where it did, as I say I dont like having spuds in the main garden

[Richard Watson]

This new variety was TPS grown about 5 years ago, a fantastic chipping spud, chips go a lovely crunchy golden colour, high yielding also.

[Steph S]

Those look wonderful, Richard.

I have no hope of growing my own seed potatoes in the present condition of my land.  Potato trials have done really poorly with wireworms and scab.
So I will have to keep working on the ground until it's in better shape.   I might try my Dad's old garden but that needs work too.

In the meantime it's lovely to see pics of those unusual spuds! 

[Richard Watson]

I did a long post in reply to yours Steph, but its a thread where ya cant post photos, this one I cant, I typed out a big long rambling post, attached two photo and........ poof ... gone

[Richard Watson]

I did a long post in reply to yours Steph, but its clear that its another thread where ya cant post photos, this one I cant, I typed out a big long rambling post, attached two photo and........ poof ... gone

cant post photos in the NZ camote thread either, but can with others, fuck we need to get something sorted about this

[AndrewB]

Planted my very first TPS that I have ever done! All of it is years old seed, so no idea on viability. Whatever (if anything) survives I will probably try to save.

Surface seeded in a pot with nice compost / sandy soil.

TPS (Primarily Bora Valley Purple) 2019
Tetraploid mic -mostly fingerlings?
Cultivariable Diploid Mix Group 1 2016
Skagit Plenty 4 (very dark purple flowers)
Skagit Plenty 2 (good white oval)
Skagit Plenty mixed
mixed: Magic Dragons, Fiesta Gold, Skagit Plenty
Fiesta Gold
Blue Zest (ploidy = ?)

[nathanp]

I have only harvested a few of my TPS seedlings this year.  In my zone 4 location, I planted several diploid seedlings as an afterthought and those did surprisingly well.  This post in the KPP facebook group has pictures of these. 
KPP Diploid seedlings, zone 4

One or two of these will be saved until next year and replanted if they store well enough. 
I am waiting until closer to a fall frost to do so at my zone 7a location and have about 55-60 seedlings to dig, about 40% diploids, 60% tetraploids.  This is the smallest TPS growout I have done since my first year growing TPS in 2013.  I expect I will save about 10 of these to retry next year from tubers.