Tom's Taters
 

[SIZE=5][COLOR=blue]Tom's Taters[/COLOR][/SIZE]


[I]Tom Wagner has one of the few private, one-man potato breeding programs in the.......[/I]

Want to read more? Pardon me for even mentioning it. Go to the sno-valley-tilth website below or click on the second site which is a pdf file.

[URL]http://www.snovalleytilth.net/resources.htm[/URL]


[URL]http://www.snovalleytilth.net/home_files/Tom's%20Taters%20.pdf[/URL]
[COLOR=darkgreen]You can also downloaded this file directly from the link at the bottom of this post.[/COLOR]


Since I am a landless potato grower and breeder, I have to beg for ground to plant potatoes on. I don't have the capital to buy, rent, or steal ground. Most of the lines I put up for this site are research oriented. The cost of the tubers covers, for the most part, the delivery system for the local area. The tubers are not destined to be reproduced without my consent and I intend (within reason) to visit the potato plots where ever they are planted. I need to evaluate the performance and flavor of said varieties and perhaps collect the potato berries produced. This is an attempt for local growers to facilitate local seed sources.


The Pdf list is a veiled attempt by Kate H. to get me to go national on folks with my assorted varieties in the years yet to come. If I do go for a large scale it would be with 100% internal creations. So if you wanted a Pjellfinn, you would have to settle for an F-1 of Pjellfinn and Golden Amey.

Have fun looking at this site. Let me know what you think.

Tom

Glad to see you dipping a toe back into the seed potato business Tom. I am looking forward to growing some of your varieties this year.

At some point in the future, I hope you set up your own website.

One thing I noted, your listing does not make plain the charges for shipping and handling. A typical charge might be $7 for the first 5 pounds and an additional $2 per 5 pounds up to 100 pounds. At some point above 100 pounds, you will have to use truck freight for deliveries. I'm not sure the numbers I am using here are accurate, but they should give some idea of how to price shipping. Getting this right will make a major difference in your business.

Fusion

[quote] One thing I noted, your listing does not make plain the charges for shipping and handling.[/quote]The pdf listing was designed for local growers. I don't think Kate was thinking outside easy driving distances. However, it may be advisable to go to the USPS site to check what it might cost to ship from here to your zip code and the weight involved. Shipping costs are quite prohibitive. For info go to the link below to see if it is worth it first.

[URL]http://postcalc.usps.gov/default.asp[/URL]

Type in your the zip code like 98052 for Redmond, WA and then your zip code along with wt of potatoes requested. That should be fairly accurate for shipping costs. I can't imagine anyone willing to pay such mailing costs, and this is probably one reason I may not get into this business. People would have to prove otherwise.
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4 pounds of seed potatoes to Houston are $8.30 by USPS Parcel Post (6 days), $11 by USPS Priority Mail (2-3 days), or $12 UPS Ground (6 days).

Ronniger's charges $13-15 for 2 pounds or $19-25 for 5 pounds of seed potatoes, which seems to INCLUDE shipping.

I received a box of about 25 pounds of potatoes from Tom today. These are some of the most unique potatoes I've ever seen! They range from huge baking potatoes to long slim fingerling types and in every color imaginable.

Fusion

Do you have a photo of them yet? I'd love to see them, Fusion. :)

Hope this works right the first time. I haven't played around with sizing photos for the forum. There are about 30 varieties total. Impressive ones at first glance are:
Skagit Beets - the bright red one bottom center.
Black y Azul - the big black ones left edge center.
Azul Largo - the big long blue fingerling right center.
Red Snake - it looks like a snake in the photo, goes from the center up and right.

I wiped a few of them with a damp paper towel so the colors would show up better. Then I let them dry and put them back up for planting tomorrow.



Fusion

Great picture and fantastic selection! Just wow!

I hope they all produce for you.

And just think I planted potatoes on a whim this spring when I called around and found a local feed store that had em. Next year I'll take it a bit more seriously. ;)

Those potatoes are beautiful!! Perhaps next year I will try some of these.

Tom, will these be available during off-times just after Christmas? I would love to try some of your varieties. I only can use small quantities, though (about 5 pounds total).

Tiffanie

Fusion,

Glad you enjoyed my potatoes!

You ought to take a photo of some of those just after you cut them before planting. The flesh colors should be dramatic as well. Imagine what I go through each year when I cut tens of thousands of clonal types resulting of my breeding work. If my website gets going, I might make ware potatoes available.

Tom

Yes, PLEEEEASE, Tom. I'm willing to pay whatever $ involved for phytos to get some tubers over the border.

Jennifer

Here is a photo of the potatoes cut and ready to plant. I estimate there are 250 sets ready to go in the ground. I cut to get 2 eyes on each piece of potato. Note the extremes of color. Yellow varieties are mostly in the top center. There are some blue to purple to almost black. And there are lots of red or mottled red among these. I can't wait to get them planted!

Fusion:D

Wow! Just gorgeous. Thanks for taking the time to do that! Like jewels, they are.

How amazing! I have never seen such beauties - I doubt we have varieties like those down under!!! Thanks Fusion :D

PP

PP, we do, but you have to search for them a bit.

I'm only just starting to plant some more varieties of potatoes. They are soooo rewarding to grow yourself. :)

My kids thought it was so cool that their grandparents saved them some blue potato chips from their JetBlue flight. I'm sure if I showed them these pictures they would want our yard turned into a giant potato garden. Those potatoes look so cool!

Tyffanie

[quote=Spatzbear;50160]PP, we do, but you have to search for them a bit.

I'm only just starting to plant some more varieties of potatoes. They are soooo rewarding to grow yourself. :)[/quote]

Hmmm, really? I wonder if I could grow some over winter since we don't have frost, but maybe the ground is too cold?

PP

PP, put them in a stryofoam box - you can get them free of charge from your friendly greengrocer. Put some soil/compost in the box, add the potatoes, add mulch. Watch them grow. :)

You can get some really nice potato varieties from the Central Market or Wilson's Organic Shop opposite the market.

I planted 2 rows of potatoes with about 126 sets per row. Now I'm asking myself "What on earth will I do with all those potatoes?".

It was cold outside and the sun was shining. The soil had just the right amount of moisture to crumble nicely when I tilled it. And it is the right time to plant potatoes around here.

Fusion

question for Tom
 

Fusion, great picture. Yum.

Tom,

I was wondering why the breeding program on the west side of the mountains? Is that where all the potatoes are grown? I've never heard of seed potatoes grown anywhere in Washington than the east side of the state, in Ellensburg, Yakima etc. Ellensburg produces fabulous potatoes.

I'm from Yakima originally, so you've really got me curious here.

maryinpnw

Mary[quote]I was wondering why the breeding program on the west side of the mountains?[/quote]I moved my breeding program to Redmond, WA.from Bakersfield, CA. since my wife relocated here three years ago as a [SIZE=4][COLOR=blue][FONT=Arial][COLOR=#0080c0][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Comic Sans MS][B][I]Financial Analyst with the now new AT&T.[/I][/B][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE]

She works for pay while I work for play, or so it seems.


[quote]Is that where all the potatoes are grown? I've never heard of seed potatoes grown anywhere in Washington than the east side of the state, in Ellensburg, Yakima etc.[/quote]Naw. Potatoes grown in Skagit County are known for the high quality of reds, Yukons, Whites, and Blues. Eastern Washington is known for the Russet families. Over 90% of my potato breeding has to do with non russet classes. Earlier my proprietary potato varieties were all grown in the county north of Skagit in Whatcom County as certified seed. My research is done in four counties in Washington plus in several locations in California where ten of thousands of boxes of my varieties are marketed.

I actually prefer the cool, wet climate of the PNW over the hot dry climate of Kern County, California. It is my Manx blood that conditions me to the climate here. Since I am a Tater-Mater by profession, what better place to be?

Tom

Thanks Tom
 

Thinking back to childhood, I don't remember anything but russets and sometimes reds for potato salad. Hmm...

I did not know Skagit County was such a producer of potatoes. Thanks for the information. It's all news to me.

I appreciate reading your posts and wish you much success in your work, because that means good eating for us!

maryinpnw