Potatoes: First 2013 potatoes from seed

I have been swapping potato seed with other growers for a while now and there is always a hunger for pictures and information about the seeds that I offer.  I’m trying to get a little better at documenting the new varieties as they come out of the ground.  Maybe this blog will help me to be a little more disciplined.  Here is 2013’s first batch of potatoes grown from seed.  The last couple of years I have been growing mostly seeds purchased from Tom Wagner.  I am really excited to have access to so many new types, although I will get back to growing more of my own lines next year (unless he offers even more types, in which case all bets are off!)  We’ll have another 80 to go this year, so I hope you won’t get bored of looking at pictures.  I pulled these plants early because I had ulluco going to seed in the same bed and needed to clear some space.  Most of these were still huge, vigorous plants, so I assume yields are a bit lower than they might have been if the plants were allowed to continue to senescence.  A few of these are promising and will go on to further testing next year.  Most, however, are probably destined for the dinner plate.

A number of the Murus this year look a lot more like the Huagalinas that we grew last year.  There is definitely some similarity in appearance between the two, but I’m still suspicious.  I’m usually pretty careful with labels, but when you grow enough plants, you will screw up.  But, the weird part is that I didn’t grow any Huagalina this year and they have never grown in the bed that I harvested from.  So, that remains a mystery.  Happily, I care much more about the end result than the parentage.

OC-CB1-1301, a cross of a Muru from TPS and our Moclips White 4.5 pounds from one plant. Suffers from cracking. Will grow again from tubers next year.

OC-CB1-1303, a cross of a Muru from TPS and our Moclips White 1.25 pounds from one plant. Good quality, no scab.  Not much of Muru in the appearance. A maybe for next year.

OC-CB1-1304, a cross of a Muru from TPS and our Moclips White 0.35 pounds from one plant. Too small, but might grow larger from tuber and with a full season. A maybe for next year.

OC-CB1-1305, from Tom Wagner’s Mt. St. Helens TPS 0.4 pounds from one plant. Nice color, but small and clumpy. A maybe for next year.

OC-CB1-1307, a cross of a Muru from TPS and our Moclips White 0.6 pounds from one plant. A bit like OC-CB1-1301, but no cracking (and lower yield). A maybe for next year.

OC-CB1-1308, from Tom Wagner’s Mt. St. Helens TPS 0.25 pounds from one plant Nice color, crack and scab free but small and low yield. A maybe for next year.

OC-CB1-1309, from Tom Wagner’s Enfula TPS (the title int the picture is wrong) 0.15 pounds from one plant. Attractive, but small. A maybe for next year.

OC-CB1-1310, from Tom Wagner’s Muru TPS 0.5 pounds from one plant. Not a great yield for a Muru, but nice looking. We’ll give it a shot growing from tubers next year.

OC-CB1-1311, from Tom Wagner’s Muru TPS 0.1 pounds from one plant. Poor yield, but a great looking Muru. A maybe for next year.

OC-CB1-1312, a cross of a Muru from TPS and our Moclips White 0.1 pound from one plant. End of the line for this one.

OC-CB1-1313, a cross of a Muru from TPS and our Moclips White 0.4 pound from one plant. Not much of Muru in the appearance. A maybe for next year.

OC-CB1-1314, a cross of a Muru from TPS and our Moclips White 0.25 pound from one plant. Bad form, scaly skin, low yield. End of the line for this one.

OC-CB1-1316, from Tom Wagner’s Muru TPS 0.8 pounds from one plant. Small and set a huge number of tubers, which rarely seems to turn out to be a good trait. A maybe for next year.

OC-CB1-1317, a cross of a Muru from TPS and our Moclips White 1 pound from one plant. Strong russetting and some scab, but good size and reasonable yield. A maybe for next year.

OC-CB1-1318, from Tom Wagner’s Mt. St. Helens TPS Negligible pounds from one plant. Not much to evaluate. End of the line for this one.

OC-CB1-1319, from Tom Wagner’s Muru TPS Negligible pounds from one plant. Not much to evaluate and better Murus to work with. End of the line for this one.

OC-CB1-1320, from Tom Wagner’s Muru TPS 0.1 pounds from one plant. Odd forms, small size, better Murus on hand. End of the line for this one.