This year's TPS lines - Page 2

wingnut · May 17, 2013

Very nice setup! And excellent results. I would think you could grow an excellent potato crop in your neck of the woods. How do you do with late blight?

Boutique Tomatoes · May 17, 2013

I don't have significant disease problems here. In the past my problems have been due to my heavy clay soil and excessive rainfall, the last year I tried potatoes at least half the summer I couldn't walk in the potatoes without sinking in past my ankles in sticky mud. Of course most of them rotted in the ground.

This year I'm growing around 850 tomato plants and all of my peppers at another location and am taking part of my raised gardens at the house to grow potatoes in so that shouldn't be an issue even if we have a wet summer. The plan is to try to find a number of candidates for larger scale growing here and then grow those selections at my 'farm' location next year.

Tracydr · May 17, 2013

Could I start TPS seedlings in the spring and then plant their tubers in the fall? I'd like to try some potatoes but my one experiment last year showed me that our spring is too short. It's really hard to find any tubers at the right time of year for fall planting, since that's not normally done.
I would so love to grow my own potatoes of various tastes and colors.
I'm excited that we are probably moving next summer, hopefully to a cooler climate.

Boutique Tomatoes · May 17, 2013

From what I understand you can start TPS in smaller containers and just leave them there to get minitubers, then plant the minitubers.

wmontanez · May 17, 2013

Marktutt
I did that but don't take the tubers early ..... you must wait until the TPS plant dies down and the tuber breaks dormancy. I tricked them by placing in cold storage for 4 weeks and then let them sprout but still takes like 2 months. Still some made it!

Tracydr · May 17, 2013

So, how would I time it to be planting some tubers around Sept/October time frame?
I'd really like to try some potatoes this fall if I can figure this out.

TZ-OH6 · May 17, 2013

For me, it is more practical to start TPS with my tomatoes in the spring and grow the plants out in the garden. By the end of the season each plant has enough tubers to seed a short row the next season, and I get some idea of stolon length, tuber size, productivity etc. I've even gotten some berries off of them the first year.

Tracydr · May 17, 2013

I don't think potatoes will survive past June here. It's just too hot. Which is why I'd like to try TPS and transplant in the fall.

Boutique Tomatoes · May 17, 2013

My suggestion would be to try starting some TPS indoors about mid July so they could be put out in the garden mid September.

**Tom Wagner** · May 18, 2013

Beings I lived in hot climates before...I started TPS in September and transplanted to single cells in October to allow them to mature through November. I know how hot September can be but by October you should have two months to finish off the cell plants or garden transplants. If you are lucky you may have a few weeks in December that is frost free. The resulting tubers...from pea size to larger can then be put into a storage area (ambient) for allowing the tubers to break dormancy for a Feb. 1 planing.

GunnarSK · May 18, 2013

Looking good. Hope I'll be able to grow some from TPS now and plant the tubers next year.

Tracydr · May 18, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by wmontanez

Marktutt
I did that but don't take the tubers early ..... you must wait until the TPS plant dies down and the tuber breaks dormancy. I tricked them by placing in cold storage for 4 weeks and then let them sprout but still takes like 2 months. Still some made it!

I seem to remember reading the thread you wrote about this.

Tracydr · May 18, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Wagner

Beings I lived in hot climates before...I started TPS in September and transplanted to single cells in October to allow them to mature through November. I know how hot September can be but by October you should have two months to finish off the cell plants or garden transplants. If you are lucky you may have a few weeks in December that is frost free. The resulting tubers...from pea size to larger can then be put into a storage area (ambient) for allowing the tubers to break dormancy for a Feb. 1 planing.

Thanks, Tom!
Is Feb 1 early enough? We're 100 degrees now and have been for two weeks.
My one experiment with Yukon Gold and Kennebecs, they started wilting badly by May 1. I finally had to harvest them early, despite putting up shade for them.
I did get lots of little new potatoes, which was great.

Tracydr · May 18, 2013

Would the tropical varieties be more heat tolerant?

**Tom Wagner** · May 18, 2013

When I was a potato buyer for Frito-Lay I remember it being very hot in the Arizona harvest...May 15 through July 4. Yes, the potatoes would wilt but in the Queen Creek area they compensated by using lots of sulphide products and lots of water. Early potatoes seemed to do better but late varieties such Kennebec were available in the latter harvest. And yes, an earlier planting time in January could be done and early December if you don't mind a freak frost or two.

Back in 1970 FL-2 was a major variety...it bulked early and had a low tuber set....same as for Yukon Gold.

May 17, 2013	#20
wmontanez Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: MA Posts: 776	Marktutt I did that but don't take the tubers early ..... you must wait until the TPS plant dies down and the tuber breaks dormancy. I tricked them by placing in cold storage for 4 weeks and then let them sprout but still takes like 2 months. Still some made it! __________________ Wendy

May 17, 2013	#16
wingnut Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: bald hill area thurston county washington Posts: 312	Very nice setup! And excellent results. I would think you could grow an excellent potato crop in your neck of the woods. How do you do with late blight?

May 17, 2013	#17
Boutique Tomatoes Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Northeast Wisconsin, Zone 5a Posts: 1,109	I don't have significant disease problems here. In the past my problems have been due to my heavy clay soil and excessive rainfall, the last year I tried potatoes at least half the summer I couldn't walk in the potatoes without sinking in past my ankles in sticky mud. Of course most of them rotted in the ground. This year I'm growing around 850 tomato plants and all of my peppers at another location and am taking part of my raised gardens at the house to grow potatoes in so that shouldn't be an issue even if we have a wet summer. The plan is to try to find a number of candidates for larger scale growing here and then grow those selections at my 'farm' location next year.

May 17, 2013	#18
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	Could I start TPS seedlings in the spring and then plant their tubers in the fall? I'd like to try some potatoes but my one experiment last year showed me that our spring is too short. It's really hard to find any tubers at the right time of year for fall planting, since that's not normally done. I would so love to grow my own potatoes of various tastes and colors. I'm excited that we are probably moving next summer, hopefully to a cooler climate.

May 17, 2013	#22
TZ-OH6 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mid-Ohio Posts: 847	For me, it is more practical to start TPS with my tomatoes in the spring and grow the plants out in the garden. By the end of the season each plant has enough tubers to seed a short row the next season, and I get some idea of stolon length, tuber size, productivity etc. I've even gotten some berries off of them the first year.

May 18, 2013	#25
Tom Wagner Crosstalk™ Forum Moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: 8407 18th Ave West 7-203 Everett, Washington 98204 Posts: 1,157	Beings I lived in hot climates before...I started TPS in September and transplanted to single cells in October to allow them to mature through November. I know how hot September can be but by October you should have two months to finish off the cell plants or garden transplants. If you are lucky you may have a few weeks in December that is frost free. The resulting tubers...from pea size to larger can then be put into a storage area (ambient) for allowing the tubers to break dormancy for a Feb. 1 planing.

May 18, 2013	#26
GunnarSK Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Warsaw, Poland 52° N Posts: 363	Looking good. Hope I'll be able to grow some from TPS now and plant the tubers next year.